Dear mean girl survivor,

This is for you—those who have been bullied by a mean girl. The girls who have been spit on in the cafeteria, the girls who refuse to participate in gym class, the girls who never attend school dances… We all have that one girl in our school or community that is absolutely bizarre. They are always calling us names, always pushing us down. They constantly say the words that mean the most, but in the most negative manner. These words cut us deep. They leave us scars. They usually consist of meaningless phrases and terms such as, “You are ugly” or “Don’t wear a bikini because you are so fat, my mother is skinnier than you.” I am almost positive that we have all had some type of negative feedback from some form of a mean girl in our lives. I wish the mean girls would just stop dipping themselves into the egos of other people just because it makes them feel better.

Mean girls are a lot like demons. They come in all shapes and sizes, in fact. The mean girl doesn’t have to be the stereotypical five foot three, and caked with seven layers of makeup, and wear a mini skirt and be a junior in high school. She could also be the 73-year-old woman on your last round in the nursing home, telling you she is going to take a dump on your hand. Yes, that’s correct, a dump on your hand. Poop...on your hand.

Currently, I have been thinking that we really should not let the values of other people get in the way of what we are currently trying to pursue. The point being is that you can’t allow another person to make you feel inferior. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt was an amazing role model, and at least she had something right. Other people should take after her words, and try to live in her spirit. I feel they would live a much better life if they are trying to be a happier person.

But, to bring this all to a conclusion, people are going to be mean. We should not let the words of others affect us. As human beings, it can be hard at times to distinguish the flaws of right and wrong. However, we do need to remember that these girls are just mean girls, and they could also be mothers, sisters, daughters and children, too. Everybody deserves a chance for redemption. But if those girls and woman turn around to be the same type of people the second time around, I would say it is time for revenge. But overall, we need to just focus on smiling and being a better person than the person we were yesterday.

Signed,

Your fellow Cady Heron