You are cordially invited, read the little pink invitation. Thanks, but no thanks, I thought to myself. I was, in all honesty, vehemently uninterested in attending something that seemed to single out females for bullying, a universal problem concerning both genders. And I wasn't the only one who felt this way.
Girls from each of these grades openly expressed the same doubts that I had; namely, "why aren't the boys attending?" It wasn't because we weren't aware that girl-on-girl bullying wasn't a thing. After all, we'd all experienced and witnessed it at least once in our lives; and, of course, we'd all seen Mean Girls. But even so: Why weren't the boys getting a lecture?
Despite our concerns, the day of the lecture followed suit. Not unlike the scene from Mean Girls, the 7th-12th grade girls filed reluctantly into the gym, curious as to how this would all play out. Standing up front was a beautiful blonde woman who looked not much older than me. She was introduced as Miss Lauren Galley, and she was here to promote her campaign with Secret Deodorant, entitled "Mean Stinks!"
It was immediately evident that Miss Galley was an exceptional public speaker. Rather than easing out of the brief introduction, she shot out of it like a racehorse, ready to influence the myriad of young ladies before her. She spoke confidently about why she was here; to inspire girl-on-girl support and promote self-confidence by emphasizing these three major points:
1). Our words have a profound effect on others.
As obvious as this may seem, sometimes we need to be reminded that words can hurt. To further expand on this, Lauren presented a paper doll named "Georgia". Lauren began to insult Georgia, and each time she did so, she would rip a part off of Georgia, such as an arm, until she was nothing but remnants of torn paper. This was to demonstrate that words are permanent; no amount of tape will completely restore Georgia from the damage done, just as no amount of apologies can completely dismiss or cancel out what we say. Thinking before we speak is a quick fix for
2). Jealousy can be turned into a force of positivity.
We have all dealt with jealousy at some point in our lives. After all, it is a completely normal emotion for everyone. However, Miss Galley suggested the two different schools of thought that we can adopt when we are jealous of someone else: we can either let that jealousy take over and have it turn into resent, or we can acknowledge and compliment the wonderful qualities that the particular person possesses. It is more than likely that both people involved will feel better about themselves, resulting in the spread of positivity.
3). Life is simpler without gossip.
End of story! Life is complicated enough as it is; gossiping about others only convolutes our perspectives and relationships. Making the calculated decision not to gossip about others keeps a clear conscience and a rumor-free environment.
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to represent that us girls are "ganging up for good"in order to bring girl-on-girl bullying to a halt.
Overall, Lauren's speech was a huge success; everyone took something away from it, whether it pertained to girl-on-girl bullying or personal insecurities. Because of this success, the WPS administration is planning on arranging a similar meeting geared towards the boys.
To learn more about Lauren's campaign, visit http://www.girlsabovesociety.org , and check out the pictures below!
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| Miss Lauren Galley with a few of the young ladies at WPS |
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| Denise and Casey "gang up for good" and sport their blue pinkies! |
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| Sara, Cathryn, and Onome capturing their support for one another |
