SWETHA'S STORY
Looking at Swetha confidently striding in her edgy clothes and not giving a care in the world, it's hard to believe that she ever went through any bullying experiences.
" That one event completely changed how I saw myself, " one of my most caring and compassionate friends tells me in the privacy of her painting covered room. " On Halloween night, Swetha was having fun with her friends just like any other middle schooler. But her night took a drastic turn when three classmates cornered and bullied her about her biggest insecurities. "They laughed and insulted me about how I always looked so different from all the other girls my age. "
As time passed, the bullying got to the point where Reddy was afraid to go to school out of fear that a similar incident would occur. And sadly it did, but it was worse: it was from her own bedroom. " I began to realize that cyber bullying was a real thing," Swetha painfully says, "It began with those three boys posting mean comments on my walls, and then it spread like wild fire. All kinds of people- my friends to even classmates who I didn't know- began to post horrible things on my facebook wall. I felt like everyone had cornered me into a glass box where I saw them laughing at me, but I couldn't do anything about it. All I wanted to do was cover myself, and hide this ugly self that everyone-including myself- saw."
" That one event completely changed how I saw myself, " one of my most caring and compassionate friends tells me in the privacy of her painting covered room. " On Halloween night, Swetha was having fun with her friends just like any other middle schooler. But her night took a drastic turn when three classmates cornered and bullied her about her biggest insecurities. "They laughed and insulted me about how I always looked so different from all the other girls my age. "
As time passed, the bullying got to the point where Reddy was afraid to go to school out of fear that a similar incident would occur. And sadly it did, but it was worse: it was from her own bedroom. " I began to realize that cyber bullying was a real thing," Swetha painfully says, "It began with those three boys posting mean comments on my walls, and then it spread like wild fire. All kinds of people- my friends to even classmates who I didn't know- began to post horrible things on my facebook wall. I felt like everyone had cornered me into a glass box where I saw them laughing at me, but I couldn't do anything about it. All I wanted to do was cover myself, and hide this ugly self that everyone-including myself- saw."
But there was turning point for Swetha. Art became her escape. She began to express herself through any media of art she found whether it be painting, makeup, clothes, or drawing.
Swetha goes on to saying that it was one kind comment about her art that changed her entire perspective.
" One day as I was sketching a girl came up to me and said how incredible she thought the drawing was. And to me that drawing was equivalent to who I was. That was the moment that I began to realize how much I had been selling myself short and under appreciating myself."
That realization turned a switch on in Swetha's life. She began to become bolder whether it through her ideas or her appearance. And the more confident that she got, the less people insulted her.
As she looks back today, she sees how much she has grown from the days in her past " I honestly don't care what people think, because I know myself and I love myself. So, at the end of the day what other people say might hurt, but it doesn't matter to me. And people have begun to appreciate and respect me because of it, " Reddy says confidently, "Today I am still that girl who doesn't fit into societies norms, but there's one difference: I'm proud to be unique. And even if people aren't okay with that, I won't let my voice fade away like last time. Because if there's anything I've learned is that conforming to society's standards is the same thing as losing myself, which is ten times worse than getting bullied."
But she won't need to worry about bullying because if there's anything the world respects is self respect and boldness that Reddy so elegantly carries.
Swetha goes on to saying that it was one kind comment about her art that changed her entire perspective.
" One day as I was sketching a girl came up to me and said how incredible she thought the drawing was. And to me that drawing was equivalent to who I was. That was the moment that I began to realize how much I had been selling myself short and under appreciating myself."
That realization turned a switch on in Swetha's life. She began to become bolder whether it through her ideas or her appearance. And the more confident that she got, the less people insulted her.
As she looks back today, she sees how much she has grown from the days in her past " I honestly don't care what people think, because I know myself and I love myself. So, at the end of the day what other people say might hurt, but it doesn't matter to me. And people have begun to appreciate and respect me because of it, " Reddy says confidently, "Today I am still that girl who doesn't fit into societies norms, but there's one difference: I'm proud to be unique. And even if people aren't okay with that, I won't let my voice fade away like last time. Because if there's anything I've learned is that conforming to society's standards is the same thing as losing myself, which is ten times worse than getting bullied."
But she won't need to worry about bullying because if there's anything the world respects is self respect and boldness that Reddy so elegantly carries.