“This isn’t awareness. This is branding sadness” – Amanda Batula’s filtered wellness posts ignite fierce backlash as mental health advocates accuse Summer House star of ‘aestheticizing depression’ with luxury-laced imagery and pastel captions - suong

Amanda Batula, known for her honest portrayal of mental health struggles on Summer House, is now facing unexpected backlash after a series of curated Instagram posts that some mental health advocates claim are “romanticizing” or “aestheticizing” depression. While the reality star has been open about her battle with anxiety and depression — even appearing tearful in confessionals and discussing medication — her recent shift to perfectly-filtered wellness content is causing controversy.

In the past few weeks, Amanda has shared a string of softly-lit images: one showing her sitting on her kitchen floor wrapped in a knit blanket, a cup of matcha in hand, with the caption “healing is nonlinear”; another post showed her hugging her dog while staring pensively out a window, tagged with #mentalhealthjourney and #softgirlhealing. The most talked-about photo, however, featured Amanda lounging in bed wearing a luxury robe, surrounded by high-end candles and journals, with the caption: “Depression looks different on everyone. I’m learning to let the light in.”

While many fans applauded her vulnerability and visual expression, several prominent mental health activists have taken issue with the presentation — claiming it sends a distorted message about what depression truly looks and feels like.

“This kind of content turns real mental illness into an aesthetic,” wrote one licensed therapist on X. “Depression isn’t about warm-toned candles, pastel skincare, or being pretty in pain. For many people, it’s about barely making it out of bed, or not being able to pay for therapy, let alone shop for clean beauty products.”

A viral TikTok stitched Amanda’s post with the caption: “This isn’t awareness. This is branding sadness.” The video, which has now reached over 900K views, showed side-by-side comparisons of Amanda’s content with clinical definitions of major depressive disorder.

In response to the backlash, Amanda took to Instagram Stories to clarify her intentions. “I never meant to make anyone feel like their experience was being minimized,” she wrote. “For me, creating a calm space and finding moments of quiet beauty has helped. But I hear you. Mental health is different for everyone, and I’ll be more mindful moving forward.”

Still, the apology hasn’t stopped the debate from growing. Some fans argue that Amanda is being unfairly criticized for trying to take ownership of her journey, while others point out that, as a public figure with brand deals and a platform, she has a responsibility not to filter reality too heavily.

Adding fuel to the conversation, Amanda’s husband Kyle Cooke commented under one of the disputed posts: “Proud of you. Keep showing up.” That simple comment sparked a mini war in the comment section, with some fans defending Kyle’s support while others accused the couple of “glossing over real issues for influencer clout.”

This controversy comes at a time when Bravo stars are increasingly merging personal vulnerability with polished branding — walking a tightrope between relatability and aspirational content. While Amanda has been praised in the past for her bravery in sharing mental health struggles on-screen, this latest incident reveals the complexities of public healing in a digital age.

Whether this will affect Amanda’s relationship with her audience or her place on Summer House remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: in the world of reality TV, even healing can be a source of drama.