According to stopbullying.gov, between 1 and 4 and 1 and 3 students have experienced bullying at school. Kids who are perceived as different are the ones most often bullied. Whether it’s the way they act or a physical difference. When bullying occurs, it is most often done by a group. The next model for my anti-bullying photography project experienced such bullying.

Rakia Mallory has a fused hip, which makes her walk differently. Other kids bullied her because of this difference. Here is her account of the bullying she endured.

“I have a fused hip. The ball and joint are completely fused and there is no more cartilage so I don’t have any range of movement. I walk with a limp and it sorta makes my bottom poke out more than it should. And my back is very curved. I’ve been like this since I was 12. In high school, many girls used to make fun of the way I walked and said that I would poke my butt out to get other guys attention. I always ignored them and tried not to let them get under my skin. I really just kept to myself. I had my family and my friends. I decided to live with my problem and just focus on me and my future.

But I’m finally getting hip replacement so I guess that’s a plus lol. I’m very happy now. My life has really changed since I’ve been out of school. I sometimes see girls from school that used to pick at me and they are just extremely nice to me. It’s kinda weird lol. But I’m going to just be myself and if anyone wants to hate on me, they can. It won’t cause me to lose any sleep at night.”

Thankfully, Rakia had a good support system. We need to let all kids know that we support them and that they can talk to us when bullying occurs. We also need to make sure our children don’t bully others. Teach them that there is nothing wrong with being different. We can all help with this problem.

https://www.stopbullying.gov/media/facts/index.html