So something that I've been wanting to talk about for a while is bullying and the impact it can have. And with the recent news about Amanda Todd, I thought now might be a good time.
I'm going to talk about the particular brand of bullying that Amanda Todd went through. The pressure that many teen girls face that is written off as normal and "boys will be boys" I hate that saying, by the way. "Boys will be boys". It's so dismissive. As though the harassment, the pressure, and even the rape can be attributed to boys just being boys. No big deal. They're supposed to be manly. Supposed to chase girls around to show how manly they are. Teenage girls face so much pressure to be pretty. To be desirable. To be sexy. Teenage girls should not have to be sexy. Yet there is a fetishism for teen girls and if you walk into any high school in North America you'll see make-up and miniskirts on most of the girls. Teenage girls are vulnerable. And they're told that the only way they'll be worth anything is if they're seen as desirable. If they're not in the top 2% of "hot, popular girls" in high school, and often even if they are, they start looking for something to validate them. Someone to tell them they're worth something. Sometimes they find a legitimate way to validate their worth. But most of the time, they seek attention from boys. They put up with harassment because it signals that maybe someone would find them attractive. The bra snapping, the grabbing, the pinching. It's not ok. And the worst part is it's dismissed as normal. As boys will be boys. Amanda Todd was called a slut among many other things because of a boy distributing pictures of her breasts online and in her school. This was not her fault. These pictures were used to threaten her, and even when she moved elsewhere, her stalker found her. Even now, people are still bullying her, saying she deserved it and making fun of her first suicide attempt. This still boggles my mind. It's not okay to make fun of suicide. This is when I truly begin to believe that there is no hope for the human race. The damage that bullying can do is often carried along with people for life. I was a victim of intense bullying from elementary up to high school, and I can say that I understand the damage it does. The first time I attempted suicide, I was in third grade, and it was because I couldn't stand coming to school everyday to be tormented. I continued to be extremely depressed for most of my life. I attempted suicide a couple times again in high school because I believed them when they said I was worthless. Even now, when I have a wonderful group of friends who support me and a better relationship with my family, I still am on anti-depressants to keep the thoughts that I'm worthless and don't mean anything to anyone from becoming too much for me. Please, if you see bullying happening, stop it. All it takes is for one person to stand up, and you could be saving a life.
0 Comments
|
T-Girl
The one with estrogen. Bisexual, student, poet. Intrigued? Well good thing there's an entire blog for you to read then. Archives
May 2014
Categories
All
|