Mom, interrupted: Heather Armstrong's journey from mommy blogger to cautionary tale
SalonBack in 2011, as a new mother floundering in search of community, I, like so many others, discovered the world of mommy bloggers. Yes, she struggled with ongoing mental health issues that included depression and suicidal ideation, and one of the reasons she became famous was by chronicling her involuntary commitment to a mental health facility after the birth of her oldest child. Her mental health continued to deteriorate in full public view, her writing becoming increasingly incoherent and her precarious health becoming more apparent with every moody photo she posted of her needle-thin frame in skimpy clothing. In theory, this was still the same Dooce, expressing taboo thoughts loudly and imperfectly, except now the comments felt off-side – she was a character who had outlived her welcome. Except she wasn't a character to be devoured for passive entertainment; she was a very fragile woman with extensive mental health issues who made the mistake of thinking the internet was her friend and that her followers wanted the real her.
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Pioneering mommy blogger Heather Armstrong — ‘Dooce’ to her fans — dies at 47
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