The day I entered an all- girl secondary school I knew that trouble would lie ahead. For a whole year of my life I endured on going bullying from a group of girls that still to this day remain anonymous to me.  It was a time in my life that was dark and lonely, a time when I didn’t know myself and the bully controlled me. However, I now see that bullying happens to a lot of girls in life even to famous women.

My experience of bullying was different from name calling or physical fighting. It was in the form of cut outs from magazines composed to form a message on a letter that were left in certain places for me to find. It all began with a note left in my homework journal with two girls having a conversation about me. Things such as “oh she thinks she’s great now she’s a boyfriend”. You might think ‘oh how childish oh it’s only stupid talk’ but for a 14 year old girl, it is a big thing!

I left it go this time thinking… no this is stupid Tanya let them talk about you.

But I was wrong.. it got worse and worse. I received 3 letters in my journal with cut outs from magazines saying “you’ll get what’s coming to you slut” “whore” etc. I put up with it for so long keeping it all bottled up.. knowing it was someone in my class, someone I spent all my time with but not knowing exactly who?

Eventually I would make myself sick and avoid school, then I went into hospital with violent headaches. My mom knew something was wrong so I reported it to school who did everything they could for me but unfortunately no one ever came forward for doing what they did and it just stopped.

I still wonder today what enjoyment did my bully get out of taunting me? NOTHING I’d expect. A bully gets off by making you miserable to make themselves feel better. Because they are jealous.

That experience made me so strong that name calling just doesn’t hurt me anymore. Words that someone else calls you don’t mean a thing!

Thanks Tanya for sharing your story with us x