Little Girls and Stereotypes

There are a lot of stereotypes people have about people that have different experiences than them. I’ve noticed that a lot of people look down on people who were Bullied as kids, who have a low income, who are a different race, who are a single parent and people who are raped. I’m going to share a story with you that may make you think differently about two of these types of people if not all.

Ever since Elementary School a little girl was bullied. She would go home crying every day. She thought that going to a new school could help her make new friends. She went to Jr. High, a brand new school. The bullying got worse. She would be in the office every day because she couldn’t stand being in class being laughed at because she would answer the teachers questions. She would even be suspended multiple times for being a “nuisance to others.” She would be jumped after school and threatened every day. After two years she begged her mom to switch schools. She was accepted into a Charter School, her blessing for her problem. She moved onto that new school for the next four years. Sadly she was still bullied for the next 3 ½ years in a different way, but bullied all the same. She was called stupid and her “Friends” used her until they were done and threw her away like a piece of trash. Through all of this she still stayed happy and confident in her future and focused on everything to make it where she wanted to be. She thought things couldn’t get worse, until the beginning of her Senior Year. At the beginning of her senior year, a boy who bullied her in Jr. High and who went to her High School raped her. She told no one. Her High School had a total of about 400 students for all four grades and she figured if she told anyone it would create more trouble than it would solve. She kept her mouth shut and didn’t say anything. Two months later it happened again by the same boy. After the second one she told her two best friends. The girl best friend got jealous of her and even created more drama for their friendship. By the end of the next month they were no longer friends. The boy best friend comforted the girl and helped her through it. The girl blamed herself for it all and even tried to convince herself that it wasn’t rape because she could’ve stopped it. 8 months later the girl left to college. In 10 months, that boy raped her 7 times. Every time she could not avoid it or get out. That girl never let anyone know she was hurting inside and dying from the inside out. She showed the world the confident girl she wished she would be. No one knew but her one guy best friend and a few other friends she came to trust. The first week of college she was excited to be on her own doing something with her life and away from the pain of her past. That escape of pain didn’t last long. In her first week of college she was sexually harassed. She started going through PTSD from her rapes and her sexual harassment. She’s been going to counseling and getting over it. The best thing about this story isn’t her pain or the sad life she had. No, it’s about how she lives her life. No one would know she would be carrying around this pain unless she told them because she lived life happily. She has a smile on every day and goes to class to learn and make something of her life. Of course there isn’t a day in her life that she isn’t reminded of her pain but she pushes it away because she’s better then what someone did to her. People will say she’s so strong or so brave, but she doesn’t think so. She is the only one who feel her pain so strongly that she could burst into tears any second, but she doesn’t. She lives life as normally as she can. And she is happy.

I am that girl.

Yes. This is my story. If I didn’t tell you would you have known? I don’t think so. I don’t let my pain take me over. Of course I am the person I am today because of my experiences. I have test anxiety because I was made fun of for knowing the right answer in Jr. High. If someone asks me a question straight up, I can’t answer it. I freeze. I have a class where we need to talk about what we learned by reading our textbook. Every time I try to talk or want to I freeze. When teachers ask me questions, I freeze and it’s so embarrassing, but it’s just something I deal with.
I've gone though heart break and used to people treating me wonderfully then turned out to be not worth it. I've experienced hurt from a guy like every other teenage girl and I've done stupid crazy stuff like any college student. I'm normal just like you, just with different experiences. Right now I'm dealing with guy troubles and last week I dealt with drama like everyone else has. I'm no different and I hate how people will treat me differently after they find out. They do it even if they don't notice it or mean to. I'm used to it, but know I hate it almost as much as I hate being called only cute and nothing else. 

I know that a lot of people that have had the same experiences I’ve had act differently, but that’s because they are different people than I am. People deal with things differently and no one really knows a person’s story unless that person shares their story and the listener listens and accepts it. The thing that bugs me is when these stereotypes shape how a person thinks of another person. I’m not going to preach on how you shouldn’t judge people but I want you to think of my story and how I am as a person or what you know from my blog. I want you to ponder how you associate a word to an image you get in your mind. Here, let us try:

Rape

Bully

Adultery

Slut

Fat

Stupid

Nerd

Gamer

Jock

Now think of the people you associated with those words. What are their stories? Find out. It might just change your mind about stereotypes.

Have a fabulous day and I’ll blog again when I have time. :)
P.S.
A special thanks to all my friends that have helped me and stuck by me though it all. I wouldn't be the person I am today without you. I will try the rest of my life trying to show you how much you mean to me.