I got bullied mostly in middle school for my weight with verbal insults outright, whereas in high school it was more of the looks and the implied insults about not fitting in that obviously had to do with my weight. Like if I was in a conversation with one of the more popular guys, there was always snickering behind me/him or the looks from other girls like "Why is he talking to YOU?" I struggled with social anxiety during high school, so that certainly didn't help. In addition to thinking I was being judged or made fun of by people who weren't, I WAS being judged and made fun of by everyone else.

I was bullied and called fat, pig, cow, elephant..the cliche name calling in elementary school. If it wasn't my weight then it was my big teeth or my braces or my red hair..there was always something they found to pick at.

But I would have to say the most memorable situation in middle school was in 8th grade during a school event on one of the football fields. We were having some type of assembly and we were instructed to sit on the bleachers, which at our school, were these old fashioned wooden bleachers. We were all in a single file line and on the way to the field, I had finally worked up the courage to talk to one of the more popular guys that I had a little crush on and surprisingly, he was being cordial and talking to me without the snickering and laughing from other people. I was in the front of the line and our teacher directed us where to sit.

I went to sit down and didn't realize that the part of the bleacher I was to sit on was rotting and falling apart. I sat down and it of course collapsed underneath me with a loud crunch in front of the entire grade. I wasn't injured (aside from my pride of course), but I'll never forget that feeling of my stomach dropping when I realized what had happened. Struggling with my weight issues and the bullying, I knew in that split second - that they had more ammunition now to target me with. Everyone immediately cracked up laughing and started pointing and I bowed my head so they couldn't see my eyes welling up with tears. I remember I kept saying that it was rotted, and of course no one would listen. The fact that I broke the bleacher because of my weight was far more entertaining. A teacher came over and checked on me to make sure I was okay, but I just remember getting up off the ground and muttering that I had to go the bathroom, just to get out of there. I ran as fast as I could back to the bathroom inside the school and collapsed in tears in the first stall I could barricade myself in. I sat there and cried until the bell rang.

To this day, despite knowing the truth of why the bleacher collapsed, I still without thinking sometimes check a seat or chair before I go to sit down in public, I guess as a way to try and save myself from further humiliation.

Does anyone else ever hear girls laughing when you're out and about and wonder if they're laughing at you? I didn't mention this before, but I was bullied in elementary school because I'd been skipped a grade and none of my classmates knew how to deal with that, even though I wasn't bragging about it. For a while the bullying was pretty bad--kids would shut me out of games, and run away, giggling when I tried to join in playing on swings and whatnot. They told me I thought I was "all that and a bag of chips." The kids in the grade I'd been moved to were worse--they did it in the classroom, too, to the point where I stopped raising my hand to answer questions even when I knew the answer. It took me a year to make friends with the kids in the new grade, and even now that I'm grown up I still am uncomfortable when I hear laughter and don't know where it's being directed.

I was bullied in high school, but not for being overweight. I was actually so thin in high school I had that little line running down the center of my stomach that was the first stage of having a six pack (I never achieved the six pack). Girls in the locker rooms told me in all seriousness they hated me for that. I was bullied because I walk funny (I sort of waddle and always have) and because I'm not attractive and kind of look like a boy. I had a lot of people call me names because they said I was ugly. I don't miss school at all, that's for sure. People grow up a lot out of high school and a lot of those same people that bullied me in school are decent as adults but I don't ever try to be friends with them because I don't forget how cruel they were. I still get bullied every now and then, now because of my weight and still because of my looks. I had a guy call me a dyke in a parking lot not too long ago, just out of the blue. I wasn't offended because he thought I was gay (although I'm not) but rather that he used a pejorative term that was intended to hurt me. I don't understand why people feel the need to hurt other people for their entertainment.

I was teased in high school too; oddly, it was mostly by a guy who had a big crush on me when I was younger and I naively thought it was over -- it wasn't. Eventually, his friends walked away from him when my brother told them why he was teasing/harrassing me verbally -- you know, howling and such ... so he stopped.

We transferred to another school and the old school asked why; so my parents reported it at that time. That resulted in the school making some changes to stop that from happening again; so some good came out of reporting it in the end.

It did have a negative effect on my self-esteem for a long time; but I am much better now. Like you, I thought no-one would ever want to marry me --but that just wasn't so; I was shocked by how many offers I got later on. Plus, I did end up getting married at 30 yy; still am to the same guy. So like one other lady said, don't throw the towel in so early girl ... you're just a young chickadee, and there's lots of nice guys out there.

I have noticed that the bullying seems to be starting younger now, and is much more nasty than when I was young; what a shame that is ...

I was bullied in school but not for my weight. I thought I was fat and ugly but I weighed 135 to 140 so I was actually healthy back then. I was picked on mostly because our neighbors are *******s and they put their daughter, a former friend of mine, up to it.

I was mostly called a dyke just because that was the best insult they could come up with. Ten years later making sexual jokes is still the modus operandi in high school...

I was stalked to lunch by this one kid. He was about 250 pounds or more, real nasty, always had a sneer on his face. He was popular, believe it or not, and he made it his goal in life to break me. I don't think I ever cried in front of him or anyone else but I ended up having to hide in the bathroom sometimes in the hopes of getting away from him. This rarely worked and I typically found myself in the bathroom just crying.

I cried literally every day. My Dad ended up removing me from school, telling them I wouldn't be back until the problem was solved, and even threatening legal action. They "fixed" it right away by pulling the prick aside and telling him to back off. Of course, he denied ever bullying me but he stopped after that.

By then the damage had already been done. Two years later, when I was 15, I was still miserable. I had no friends, I stopped eating normally, I was still crying almost every day, and my health began to decline. My period became irregular, I don't think I had the nutrients to support a normal menstrual cycle because I was starving myself, and I began falling asleep in class. Despite the fact that I was falling apart, I managed to maintain my GPA. I got on High Honors one semester without even trying.

I changed schools after that, I couldn't take it anymore. Even though the bullying had stopped, I just didn't fit. So I began going to school online which only allowed me to hide from people. Social Anxiety took over, I didn't leave my house for months at a time, and my parents were at a loss for what to do with me. But I guess I'm determined because I eventually came through it. After high school, I took a year off just to work and hated it. I was mistreated there so I left and went to college. Dropped 30 pounds, eventually moved to New York, and I've been there ever since. I've still got some rough edges but at least the pieces are slowly fitting back together.

I was bullied in 9th grade. It was always this one guy during lunch who would just talk a lot of crap about me. I don't think he even knew my name. I don't think he ever called me fat(he was big himself) but he would call me poor and say that I wore the same thing everyday. It was the same thing at lunch every day. I would argue back, which I guess was my mistake. If I ignored him, he probably would have gotten bored and just left me alone.

I honestly don't understand peoples need to make others feel bad. :I People can be so hateful.

I was DEFINITELY the "fat girl." I still am. I'm in 11th grade, and I'll be soon starting my senior year - My goal is to leave this place behind, lose weight, and become a new, happier, slimmer, healthier person when I go to college.

Kids are so mean, usually because they are insecure about themselves or just need a laugh. They know it's wrong. If they say something to your face, smile, and say, "Satisfied?" Or, even agree with them, and laugh along with them. It won't give them the laughs they want.

I've had a lot of experience with being bullied. I remember the first time I went home crying; I was in the fourth grade and this Samantha girl said to me, "Well at least we're skinny, unlike you." Fourth grade. Seven years ago, and I still remember exactly where I was standing, and exactly what I was wearing.

However, it is very important to turn any bad situation into a good one. Sure these bullies have had their way in the past, but do NOT let it get to you, because everyone is different and everyone is beautiful in their own way.

It's not personal. They're immature jerks, and it won't last forever. As you get older, people will begin to mature and realize that everyone is different, and your looks are not your fault.

Keep your head up, and get support from your friends and family - it could be worse.

Good luck.

I was teased pretty mercilessly in elementary school and middle school for being fat and ugly. I had a girl I didn't know walk up to me once and say, "You have a really weird-looking face, did you know that?" Big nose, double chin, absolutely no breasts despite my size, you name it.

I am intrigued by stories of people show were able to go through that and shrug it off. I became incredibly withdrawn and depressed. Looking back on it, while never tiny, I wasn't even that fat in middle school, but since I'd internalized these fat messages and had no friends, I turned to food and the weight shot up.

I don't know. I am still very hurt by it (at 26!) but I'm trying to work through it. Mostly, I am hurt by what it did to my outlook. I don't often feel like the world is a very safe place and I have a difficult time maintaining friendships. I just feel sort of "broken" in a way, and while I know it's my responsibility to work past it, I found my bullying experiences to be traumatic.

But yes, I do empathize. And I agree that you're too young to write yourself off. I met my current partner when I was 22, and we're still together. He's an exceptionally good person (also quite trim and adorable -- not just by my own standards). So don't sell yourself short. Take care of your health, take care of your mind, and focus on things that bring you joy. Beyond that, never assume that someone is going to be out of your league. Just keep your eyes open for people (friends or otherwise) that treat you with love and respect. Anything less than that is not worth any of the superficial benefits of an unhealthy longterm relationship.

Oh --- the teasing stopped in high school for the most part, but I was still sort of ostracized and isolated, whether because people still didn't like me or because I conducted myself like I thought I was some hideous creature not fit for human contact. Which I did, because I did pretty much believe that due to the bullying. Who's to say?
College was somewhat better.

I was bullied incessantly in late elementary and middle school. I try my hardest to move on from those negative experiences, but even at 26 the words still taunt me.

I was teased and bullied in school, not because of being fat, but because I didn't have the cool clothes, or the social standing. I was teased and ridiculed about everything about myself. I've never discussed this with anybody, but to this day it's hard to get close to people. I don't know if it is something you ever get over.

I was bullied about everything in school too. I wasn't even really that overweight then, I was 150s-160s at 5'9", so I was just bigger than the girls and most of the guys and couldn't really wear the cool clothes they did. I also had acne, curly hair (that my mom insisted I brush, wish I knew how to take of my curly hair back then!)... I wasn't athletic and wasn't really smart, just average, plus I was shy and quiet, I was just an easy target that didn't fight back.

Sometimes with longer threads, I just reply...

This time I read everyone's response. Some of them brought me to tears.


I was tortured in school. Some years we worse than others, but at their worst (middle school) I attempted suicide several times. Mostly it was a cry for help, but my parents were disfunctional and too busy drinking to notice.
I remember being a size 20 in middle school, so I was usually the biggest girl in most of my classes. I also had a ton of problems at home. We were poor (on welfare) and I remember only having one pair of pants...and kids noticed.
I had very curly hair, and Ringmaster, I wish I knew how to care for it then as well! But instead it was an aweful, frizzy mess (my mother suffered from some kind of mental illness and didn't always bath me and such). I remember being really harassed about my hair in 4th grade, although I was picked on about it all through school. Although looking back, at 10 (4th grade) I really should have been doing my hair myself.
I remember one time kids put gum in my hair, and I was so embarassed, I just ripped it out, a whole big chunk. I still remember the names of those kids, and if they ever cross my path now, there's going to be ****.


Bully had me nervous and withdrawn for many years, until sometime in my mid 20s I snapped. No I didn't do anything illegal, but my personality did a complete 180 turn. I now over react to "bullying". Thankfully, adults are not as nasty, but the last time someone (years ago) made a comment to me in public I screamed inches from their face until she cried. I unleashed 12 years of being bullied in like 30 seconds, and it wasn't pretty. ANd forget it if I see bullying. If I witness someone being bullied, I am like a rabid dog with the bully.

I also don't get close to people. I've always been a little quirky. I'm proud of it now, but I struggled with it for years. I don't try to fit in anymore, and I'm happier that way. But I wonder how much of that is from being told for years that I don't fit in?
Also, I admit I bully old bullies. If I find out someone was a bully in school, then I torture them. If I know you were one of those arrogant pricks in school, I will treat you like you are slime. I know two wrongs don't make a right, but I'm not trying to make things right, I'm out for blood because I can't let go of the anger.

My life is good. I have a great job, a wonderful husband, darling children Except that I carry this raw anger, and I've even been to therapy to let it go, but it feels stuck in my brain. The scars run so deep I'm afraid they will never heal.

QueenofThorn, I still struggle with that daily. If I hear people laughing, I wonder if its at me. Or if I hear parts of a comment, I think its about me. Sometimes, if I have strong reason to think it IS about me (I give myself a quick logic vs paranoia check in my mind) I will ASK perfect strangers what they are commenting on. Truth be told, there are still people out there that are rude enough to make comments and laugh about others. I've gotten to the point that I can logically tell the difference between people talking about me (which is so very rare) and me thinking people are talking about me. But inside I still get the horrible anxiety sick to my stomach feeling that I'm worthless, even if I know it has nothing to do with me. I will fight back if it is about me though.



Its not fun feeling this way day after day. Its exhausting. I can't believe I've been out of high school for 12 years and I still carry this baggage.

Elementary school was horrible, although only partially due to looks. I never had any friends from kindergarten to fourth grade, but it was bearable for the longest time. Then when I got to 5th grade, I got a teacher that I hated and was seated next to some of the worst guys ever. I was somewhat suicidal and thought Linkin Park was psychic. There were actually a long series of events.

First, I got my growth spurt. I was around 5'1 in 5th grade. The guys called me Godzilla and ran away from me. I actually don't know if this was a reference to my height, weight, or body type, but I took it to mean my weight at the time. It really was hurtful. My teacher made everything worse. In previous years, I dealt with not having any friends by burying my face into books and talking frequently with my teacher, but I definitely did not have a good teacher to confide with this year.

The boys that sat at my table cracked jokes whenever the teacher wasn't looking, and I would laugh - really loudly. Then the teacher would turn around, and I'd be the only one who would get in trouble for it even as I explained to her that the boys were the ones cracking jokes. I got an equivalent to an F for behavior for the first time and cried really hard about it because I quite literally thought that it was the end of the world. It's not a big deal, but according to the stereotypes and according to my parents, I was a failure if I got an F. When I got home, my mom went ballistic which just made me cry more.

There was this one incident that I will hate her forever for. She was in the middle of explaining something about different body types, and she said something along the lines of, " and then you know, there are body types like mine and Jessica's (me) that are more suited for cavemen." The class broke out laughing. I swear I was red up to my ears. The kids in my class wouldn't let me forget it throughout the rest of the year.

There were several more incidents that just made my self-esteem plummet. Once, I was about to fall down flat on my face, and I reached out to grab something to hold onto. I happened to grab a guy's shorts, rather close to the crotch area and got called a disgusting pervert. I was called similar things a month or two later when I mentioned in a conversation that I had accidentally opened the bathroom door on my dad. Another time the guys at my table insisted to another guy that I liked him (even if I didn't). That one other guy made this disgusted face and said ew.

Then my mom left for half a year to visit her sick mother in Hong Kong, and everything just turned into a mess because I was so clingy to her and distant from my dad. I was also incredibly distant from my sister because of a "No, she did it" war, and my older brother was always out. I stopped eating lunch for a while at this time. My dad got called to school, and I got a verbal lashing for embarrassing the household by making it seem too poor to feed me. Ugh.

When I got into middle school and my mom came back from HK, I thought I was in heaven.

There needs to be a great effort to educate people about bullying and it needs to be addressed at school level. I think we are learning more and more how serious an issue it is as most of us probably know of someone committing suicide and especially with social media these days. I think it needs to be addressed every year and every level at school. I think there needs to be at least one class a year focusing on bullying and what it's like to be on either end and how accountable people who bully others have to be. I think after a bullying lesson everyone should sign a form to say they wont be involved in bullying and if they do...x, y and z will apply to them. I also think this could apply in the work force too. And social media could have something in their rules saying they wont tolerate bullying and have a report button if someone was to post a bullying type message.