Dear Mean Girls,

It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Growing up, there always seem to be the people who fit in and those who don’t. The ones who tend to be the butt of jokes are made to feel like they are not good enough. They are singled out for being how they are. Whether it is wearing the wrong clothes, doing their hair the “wrong way” or being into something that isn’t “cool,” they get fingers pointed in their direction.

Being a girl in your younger years is never easy. You are going through all kinds of changes; you’re starting to like boys, pimples are a thing, you might get glasses or braces and your hair is frizzy. You don’t have it all figured out yet, and it will be a while until you start to. Friends come and go like ships in a harbor and it almost seems like you can’t truly trust anyone. The girls who are your friends on Monday will be spreading rumors about you on Friday. The girls who say how much they love you to your face will be telling their other friends how annoying you are when you walk out of a room. Bullying is a real thing, but it is completely avoidable.

To the girls who are/were the bullies, why did you do it? What satisfaction did you get from seeing others suffer? It may have seemed really funny at the time, or maybe you simply wanted to be “cool,” but whatever the reasons may be, there are a few things you need to know:

Those words are hurtful. Regardless of the sticks and stone concept, words hurt. They stick with you. They are bruises to your soul and they never completely heal. People might forget exactly what you said, but they will never forget the way that you made them feel.

Actions hurt even more. When you go the extra mile to purposely embarrass someone else, that event will be one of the worst days of his or her life.

Talking behind someone’s back will ALWAYS get back to them. Don’t lose good friends by falling into traps that the “mean girls” suck you into. For some reason, young kids love it when the “cool” people include them in a group, even if it means hurting a friend.

About one out of every four students (22 percent) reports being bullied during the school year.

Sixty-four percent of children who were bullied did not report it; only 36 percent reported the bullying.

The reasons for being bullied reported most often by students were looks (55 percent), body shape (37 percent) and race (16 percent).

Bullying is something that has existed for a very long time and has become an increasing issue in our society today. Bullying doesn’t just take a toll on someone in terms of how they feel about themselves, physically and mentally.It is a major cause of poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety and depression.

Bullying is a topic that no one wants to talk about because it can be a touchy subject. I can attest to this. I have had my fair share of bullies in my past. Everyone has a little skeleton in their closet, but I saw the skeletons of others on a day-to-day basis while in my middle school years.

However, I am a firm believer that at times, these bullies might look back on life and feel guilty for what they did.

I was raised to always treat others the way I want to be treated, and honestly, it is a pretty easy thing to do.

Here is my advice for the ones being bullied: don’t give up. Own your life. Be successful in something you love. Do not let the opinions of others dictate who you are. You are stronger than you think, I promise. It is a very hard lesson to grasp, but not everyone is going to like you for who you are. Be you anyway.

Sincerely,

A Bullied Girl.