Her Hair is Full of Secrets

   I can quote Mean Girls with the best of them. That movie is a classic that makes me laugh every time I watch it.  Real mean girls aren't so funny, however. If you read my post,  Big Hair and Bullies, you know the impact bullying can have on girls.

   Starla Emerson, the heroin of my new story, knows all to well what its like to have a physical disability and fall victim to mean girls. She not only faces the mean comments and whispering at school, she deals with internet harassment as well.

 While writing this story I looked into facts about cyber bullying....

• 81%  of teens say its easier to bully someone online than in person.
• 70% see frequent bullying online
• 90% of teens who have seen bullying online say they ignore it
• Girls are more likely to fall victim to online bullies than boys

These are just a few facts I found at dosomething.org.  Do Something has campaigns teens can sign up for to "make the world suck less".  Maybe Starla should check it out.

Big Hair and Bullies

    I rocked big hair, spandex, and leg warmers in high school. Did I mention I mastered the Rubik's Cube?(not really, I wish).  Michael Jackson was Bad, Madonna was a Virgin, and Bon Jovi was Livin' on a Prayer when I was a teenager.

Much has changed since I was a starry eyed teenager, but something unfortunately that remains a constant to the adolescent is bullying in one form or another.  You remember, I know you do. The girls that would spread rumors about you, leave you out, talk about your clothes, call you names, and so on.

  Today the rumors and nasty comments meant to humiliate you can be posted online for all to see.  Both boys and girls experience bullying.  There are differences in the way they're bullied, but the outcome is the same...it hurts.

Here are some facts:

• Boys are more likely to be bullied physically, but girls are more likely to be bullied by rumors or being left out.
• Girls bully to feel a sense of importance and control.
• Boys usually get bullied by other boys, whereas girls tend to get bullied by both boys and girls.
• Girls experience bullying on school property more often than boys.

The good news? Today we are more aware of the seriousness of bullying than we were in the past. A good resource for parents and teens is girlshealth.gov.  What are your experiences with bullying? Do you have any advice?

I'll end with a quote from Taylor Swift.

Seventeen Magazine photo by Elizabeth Denton



You're not alone. Tell someone and seek support.......Teens Against Bullying.