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What girls say about bullying

If you are being bullied, you may feel like you’re all alone. But lots of girls have faced bullying — and come out even stronger. Keep reading to see what girls like you have to say about bullying.

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One girl’s bullying story

photo of Alana

"I was bullied all throughout elementary and middle school.

When I was 9 years old, I switched from private school to a public school in an urban neighborhood. The bullying started when I transferred to public school. I was bullied because of the way I talked. The students said I talked like a white girl and they called me Oreo, white on the inside and black on the outside. They also bullied me because I had strict parents and I didn’t know all the slang terms they used. And then I started to develop early, and I got teased about my boobs being too big and my body being skinny.

At first when I got bullied I told the teacher, but that grew old quick. A lot of the teachers didn’t believe me, or they didn’t care. I had some teachers who even encouraged me to fight back instead of tell them. But I wasn’t a good fighter, and a lot of times I was fighting more than one kid. During this time I used to write a lot of poetry to deal with the pain.

What helped me was my grandmother. In 4th grade, she went up to my school every single day to sit there and see what happened. This did not stop the fights altogether, but it did help the teachers to believe me when I said something was wrong.

During the time I was bullied I was very depressed and unhappy. I had migraines all the time, and I became very antisocial. I would go to sleep as soon as I got home from school and finished my homework. I wasn’t eating a lot, and I was always in and out of the hospital for being sick. I went through a lot of different stages during this time. There were times when I hated everyone around me and wanted revenge. There were times when I had low self-esteem and wanted to harm myself.

What brought me out of this was two things, God and my grandma. My grandma taught me to pray when things got rough. She taught me that burdens and trials can make us stronger. She taught me that with God on my side, it was more than the whole world against me. And she always told me to love myself.

I want young girls to know that they should never give up. It doesn’t matter how bad things seem now, they will always get better. You are special. You were put on this Earth for a purpose. These things that you are going through are going to make you stronger and are preparing you for something much greater. My life is so much better now, and yours will be too."
Alana, Ohio

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Quick quotes about bullying arrow. top

West Asian girl smiling“Bullying is definitely a problem at my school, especially with girls. If you are getting bullied, speak up. Tell a teacher, counselor, or parent. You won’t get in trouble for speaking up. If you see someone being bullied, get the teacher or an adult ASAP. No one deserves to be bullied.”
–Megan, Ohio
Girl with her hair in pigtails smiling“I always get picked on because I’m smart in math and a bunch of jealous, snotty girls giggle every time I answer a question. I’m 14 years old. Girls, if you ever get picked on with the same situation, don’t ever listen to the snotty, jealous girls. They just want to make you feel bad.”
–Tiffany, California
African American girl smiling“I was a first-hand victim of a bully. Throughout my junior year of high school a girl did everything she could to make my life miserable. She threatened me in front of the entire school and humiliated me in front of my friends, she and her sister tried to run me over in the school parking lot with their car, and she vandalized my car. I couldn’t take it anymore and filed a police report. It was hard at first, and I went through a really tough time in my life. I became depressed, I didn’t do well in school. I just wanted to let everyone know that it does turn around as long as you do something about it! Stand up for yourself girls, be strong. Everything will be okay in the end.”
–Kate, Michigan
smiling African American girl“Yeah, it’s really horrid to be bullied. Stand up for yourself; don’t change because other people want you to. It’s your life. Be who you want to be and live your life.”
–Imani, Pennsylvania


smiling East Asian girl“Whenever someone gives me an insult, I simply reply with a cheerful, ‘Thank you!’ I know it seems cheesy, but the person who insulted me is always so surprised by my reply that they get embarrassed and either don’t say anything or give a stupid comeback. I simply smile and turn around.”
–Michelle, Florida
smiling Hispanic girl“Bullying is just mean. People that bully sometimes do it because either their parents or siblings bully them. They are just pasting their rage on you.”
–Julonada, Maryland


smiling Caucasian girl “Bullying is violence.”
–Anonymous



 

Content last reviewed April 15,2014
Page last updated August 27, 2014

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