I think we've all been bullied one time (or more) in our lives. I also think we've been guilty of bullying to some degree.
When I turned 12 I moved back to Mexico, after living 6 years in Brazil. I had a hard time adapting and fitting in at my new school- I was a somewhat awkward (pre)pubescent girl.
It didn't helpt that my skirt was below my knees, that I wore long socks ie. that I actually wore the school uniform in its entirety (the cool girls wore the boy shirt, not the frilly-pouffy-sleeves girl shirt).
I recall boys, on several occasions, pointing out my hairy legs (I still hadn't begun shaving my legs) and the lack of a bra (I wore undershirts since there still wasn't anything a bra could hold).
One time I was taken off guard by the lockers- alone and getting school books out, a group of boys walked by, claimed I was in their way and slammed me back into the lockers. This was as nasty as it ever got for me.
I later learned that ignoring them was effective; they found others to bother. *
Then, we all grew up.
Luckily, I was with a group of people I am lucky enough to still call my best friends.
I 'wisened' and toughened up.
Which is not to say hard times were amiss as the years went by.
My last year of high-school, three different students took their own lives.
One was a classmate of mine.
All three were considered to be 'outsiders', 'loners'.
I'm not saying they were bullied into their decision, but they certainly weren't getting encouragement or positive behaviour from others.
Don't forget, we're all fighting hard battles.
Be kind.
When I turned 12 I moved back to Mexico, after living 6 years in Brazil. I had a hard time adapting and fitting in at my new school- I was a somewhat awkward (pre)pubescent girl.
I recall boys, on several occasions, pointing out my hairy legs (I still hadn't begun shaving my legs) and the lack of a bra (I wore undershirts since there still wasn't anything a bra could hold).
One time I was taken off guard by the lockers- alone and getting school books out, a group of boys walked by, claimed I was in their way and slammed me back into the lockers. This was as nasty as it ever got for me.
I later learned that ignoring them was effective; they found others to bother. *
Then, we all grew up.
Luckily, I was with a group of people I am lucky enough to still call my best friends.
I 'wisened' and toughened up.
Which is not to say hard times were amiss as the years went by.
My last year of high-school, three different students took their own lives.
One was a classmate of mine.
All three were considered to be 'outsiders', 'loners'.
I'm not saying they were bullied into their decision, but they certainly weren't getting encouragement or positive behaviour from others.
Don't forget, we're all fighting hard battles.
Be kind.
Después de Lucía follows Alejandra, a 17-year old girl new to the city after her mother's death.
After a wild night out with her new 'friends', she gains notoriety and becomes an easy target.
What starts out as verbal harassment turns into physical abuse.
For fear of speaking up, many lives are changed.
On a different and lighter note: Tessa Ia's wardrobe was super cute. #want
I left the movie theater feeling all sorts of things; disheartened, impotent, angry, upset and grateful. Grateful because I've never lived such abuse or humiliation.
Sometimes, the brave thing to do is to ask for help.
To talk. And talk. And keep talking.
We must never keep silent.
Después de Lucía urges people to talk and open their eyes.
Después de Lucía urges people to talk and open their eyes.
I asked a young girl today on her thoughts on bullying, she said, "Well, that seems to be the way life goes nowadays. You're either the bully or the bullied. It's how people get by."
I understood what she was saying, but I just wanted to scream.
No. No. No.
We're human beings. We should treat each other as such. We should respect. We should love, ourselves and others.
We should be happy.
We should revel in our differences.
I encourage you to.
See also:
-My friend's blog post on bullying HERE
-My friend's blog post on bullying HERE
* I feel like that's not the case anymore.
