Ever experienced bullying comments and judgement online for the way you look? Chances are they’ve stuck in your head more than the compliments. Whether the focus is on your hair, makeup, skin or body, unkind social media comments can make you feel isolated with nowhere to turn. But you’re not alone, 34% of GLAMOUR readers revealed that they have suffered a similar experience.
Enough is enough, it’s time to stand up to bullying and show that negativity won’t be tolerated. GLAMOUR Magazine and The Diana Award Charity have teamed up to help you do just that.
We want you to take back control of your narrative. It’s time to #BlendOutBullying.
Whether you use lipstick or eyeliner, write the hurtful word(s) anywhere on your face. Photos courtesy of Nabela Noor.
Smudge or blend the words away (because that’s what they are, just words) and take back control
Share your selfie or video with us @glamouruk @AntiBullyingPro using #BlendOutBullying. Then tag a friend to keep the anti-bullying message going.
Offer your support to someone else using #BlendOutBullying and help spread the message of kindness far and wide!
The Diana Award is a charity legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales’ belief that young people have the power to change the world. We run the leading Anti-Bullying Campaign in the UK and Ireland, training Anti-Bullying Ambassadors to stand up to both online and offline bullying in their communities.
We need your support to continue our essential work. It costs just £30 to train an Anti-Bullying Ambassador. Join us in creating a community of kindness
Experiencing bullying online can be a particularly upsetting and unfortunately frequent experience. A survey conducted by The Diana Award this year found that 81% of adults agree with the statement ‘bullying is commonplace online’.
As a bystander you might feel powerless to do anything about it, but the good news is that there are always things you can do to support others going through bullying.
If you see something going on online that is deliberate and intended to make someone feel upset, uncomfortable or unsafe, it’s probably bullying.
This could be anything from intentionally adding someone into a group chat where gossip is being spread about them to creating fake profiles to degrade someone. If in doubt and you have a feeling someone is being bullied, reach out to them to check they’re OK.
Most social media platforms have buttons which allow you to block people or groups, and report hurtful content. The best way to be an upstander to bullying, not a bystander, is to use these report functions. Reporting is usually anonymous so the person will not know you’ve reported the content and if it violates the platform’s community standards, it’ll be taken down.
If you’re being bullied it can make all the difference to receive even one friendly message. Let the person know that they can block the bullies and report the abuse. They should also save or screenshot evidence of the bullying. Finally, encourage them to speak to someone they trust instead of suffering in silence.
Sometimes people engage in bullying to try to get a reaction and answering back can make it worse. It is sometimes hard not to write back, but don’t become a cyberbully yourself: deal with the bully by blocking and reporting the abuse and monitoring the situation.
With the heated debates that can take place and ability to react quickly to things you disagree with, our online spaces can generate polarised and reactive opinions. This becomes a problem when debate crosses a line and becomes bullying. Lead by example in your own social media activity and think before you post.
It can be awful to experience bullying or to see it affecting someone else, but there are concrete steps you can take to improve the situation. Remember that you’re not alone: speaking to someone will help and try to stay positive. Things will get better!
