Young people, but mostly women, everywhere are bullied for not looking certain way. I don’t find it acceptable to conform to standards and wish that everyone could accept their own body image.

Unfortunately, some people take it upon themselves to put others down and make them feel terrible for not looking like all these models out there in the world.  Their job is to be skinny!!!! Models are paid to look extremely thin- not everyone looks that way and it’s OKAY.

People are unique and can look any way they want.

You may not know this, but there are a few people here at Knoch that suffer from eating disorders due to low self-esteem with their body image.

I am one of these people that suffered from being bullied about my weight, and did suffer from anorexia. I was bullied from my first year at Knoch (seventh grade) up to now. I saw that everyone around me was thin and knew that I didn’t look that way. It really brought me down.

I really started to feel insecure with myself, and started to worry about what other people would say about me; it all just got to my head.

In 2016, I had a concussion and didn’t really have an appetite. With that, it showed me that I could lose a bunch of weight from not eating.

I refused to eat for many months. My mom thought it was time for me to get help, thinking I still had my concussion. I didn’t want help. I was really stubborn and convinced my mom that I would start eating right again, but I didn’t.

After those many months of pain and losing most of my summer to starving myself, I realized- is all this pain and suffering worth a few negative thoughts about me? The answer was a definite NO!! The only person whose opinion mattered was mine, and that’s how it should be.

I am not the only person who has suffered from this. The school’s guidance counselors have helped students with their bullying and body imaging problems.

Teachers, guidance counselors, and the administrations take these thing very seriously. If someone is being bullied, an adult needs to be notified for the student’s safety.

You’re not alone; there are people ready to help you. There is a hotline (1-800-273-8255) you can call, and you can talk to the guidance counselors or a friend that has been through it themselves.

The guidance counselors at Knoch are very friendly, and their doors are always open to talk and help.

Finding a positive person and a good role model that you can look up to is very crucial. They can help you so much in your process in recovery.

As for me, I look up to my mom and gram, because they are both very strong, independent, and will always be there for me.

Role models can be anyone that you want, such a celebrity, parent, family members, or teachers.

Demi Lovato has become a powerful spokesman concerning mental health issues. In an article for Seventeen Magazine, Lovato said, “My eating disorder will continue to affect me for the rest of my life, but I’m proud to say that I got the help I needed, and am now the happiest and healthiest I have ever been.”

So if you don’t listen to me, listen to Demi and go find the help and support you need. We all need a friend sometimes to get us through the hard times in life. As my mom says, you’re beautiful just as you are.