Liam Hackett – CEO of Ditch the Label – said we live in a patriarchal and sexist society that holds masculinity on a pedestal and detests femininity.
While the variation between men and women may appear small, Hackett said it feeds into a wider societal narrative that holds masculinity on a pedestal and treats femininity as second-class.
“We already know that gender stereotypes can and do have harmful impacts on young people and adults; going on to influence everything from their mental health and relationships to future career prospects and body image,” the CEO said.
Hackett enumerated some of the basic reasons why people become bullies: stress and trauma, aggressive behaviors, low self-esteem, they’ve been bullied, difficult home life, low access to education and insecure relationships or out of jealousy.
But he added that the real reason behind being bullied is never anything to do with the victim, it’s because the person bullying has issues that he or she isn’t dealing with.
Although overcoming bullying can be one of the toughest things to do, Ditch the Label offers some tips to help stop bullying and from being a victim:
* If you feel safe enough, speak to the person who is bullying you. It can be scary when talking to somebody who is making your life worst, but the unpleasant thing is ignoring it and allowing yourself to feel so bad over a long period of time.
* Never go through it in silence. When you’re going through a stressful or difficult situation, it can clog your mind and fog your vision. This leads to people becoming distracted, stressed and unproductive.
* Report it to the police. Bullying is a behavior, but some forms of bullying may also be a criminal offense. If somebody physically or sexually attacks you, steals from you or uses prejudice language or hate speech towards you – such as homophobia and racism – or shares your private information or intimate images online, these are all key signs that you must report immediately to the higher authorities.
* Deal with stress. When you’re going through a stressful situation, it can be difficult to deal with it objectively if you keep it all to yourself. The stress navigates towards the front of your mind and builds up into a completely avoidable chain of negative emotions. It is therefore incredibly important to tell somebody that you trust like your family, relatives or close friends.
* Don’t isolate yourself. Depriving yourself of any sort of support certainly isn’t going to resolve the issue or help you handle the bullying.
* Look after your health. Statistically, 1-in-4 of us will experience some sort of mental health complications such as depression or anxiety. It’s completely okay to speak up about these issues and it’s important that you seek emotional and mental health support from your medical doctor, a therapist or counselor.
Ana Williams is the health columnist for The Graham Star.