When I was in middle school, I was made fun of for how I looked. I was incredibly shy and the lunchroom was terrifying to me because the “popular” girls stared at me. I would eat lunch in the bathroom stall to avoid the discomfort.
There was a dress code in our school, but we had “Dress Down Fridays” and that was when I felt comfortable being myself. I came to school in my pretty, glittery suede booties and bold colors. The girls would giggle and say sarcastically, “Love your electric blue jeggings!” It got to me, but I decided not to care because that was my style and it made me feel good about myself, despite what those girls thought.
In high school, the dress code overall was less strict so was I free to wear whatever I wanted as long as I didn’t show too much skin. Part of our dress code didn’t allow us to wear open-toed shoes either unless we wore socks. I totally rocked my pink, fuzzy heeled-sandals with thin, light pink socks.
One of the outfits I wore with them was a glittery pink tulle skirt and a pink top with the Barbie logo on it. Dressing myself in anything pink and glam made me too happy to hide my style. I loved corresponding my makeup with my outfits as well. Even though everyone thought I was strange and laughed at me, I rocked my style! It made me stand out and even the staff loved my looks.
Being bullied feels terrible. I could have easily stayed invisible and tried to hide myself, but either way, those kids would still be mean to me. Only I would be more upset about it by not being true to myself and my style. I deserved to be happy and to be seen. Maybe those kids didn’t understand me, but they would never forget that I didn’t care what they thought of me.
My one hope for all of you reading this is that you find your own style and/or something that makes you unique and happy. Let yourself shine no matter what. Don’t be afraid to stand out! 💖
