Growing up, I was creative, social, mature and kind. Those were the adjectives I preferred to use to describe myself. But a group of kids in my class had a few other monikers in mind for me – weird, nerd, wannbe, Oreo and teacher’s pet.
I was teased, bullied and harassed almost daily from seventh to eighth grade.
In 2011 – five years ago this month – Cosmopolitan magazine published my story in the article “Being Bullied Changed My Life.” The article focused on women who were bullied as teens – before the digital age – and how the constant taunting impacted their lives both negatively and positively.
I shared my journey from excluded to empowered and the steps I took to overcome the drama.
After the story was published, I received emails and instant messages commending me for my courage. Empowered Flower Girl even gained 100+ Facebook fans/followers as a result.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have shared my story publicly and encourage any who has overcome a challenge, obstacle or hardship to do the same. You never know whose life you might change or even save as a result.
Whether you call it “drama,” “beef,” or “throwing shade,” online conflict via social media is impacting the way young people communicate and relate to one another. Tension in and out of the classroom is being fueled by Facebook fallouts and Yik Yak attacks.
By Rasheda Kamaria
OMG! – It’s the reaction many parents have after discovering their child’s social media profiles for the first time. No matter if they’re honors students or academically challenged, many teens are tempted to engage in risky or inappropriate online communication that may be harmful to their virtual and real-life reputation.
It is estimated that more than half of all American teenagers witness bullying at least once a day in school. An estimated 1.6 million kids in grades 6-12 are bullied once a week.
Empowered Flower Girl 