Most people know October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. However, October is also set to bring recognition to mental health, specifically bullying. October is Bullying Prevention Month. Everyone has been involved in bullying, whether they were the victim, a witness, or they themselves were the bully. I know this is college, and bullying seems like a “high school thing”, but it can still occur all throughout life. A 2011 study from the University of Indiana showed that twenty-two percent of college students reported being cyberbullied while fifteen percent reported “traditional bullying”. That’s over one third of the population. Whenever I think of bullying, I think of teasing/naming calling and physical force, and cyberbullying; however, there are many different types. Bullying can take different forms and it’s important that you are able to recognize them.
Physical Bullying
This is usually one of the first that comes to mind when you thinks of bullying. This is pushing, spitting, and other uses of force/violence. Sexual assault is also included in this category.
Verbal Bullying
This one sort of goes along with social bullying. This is the teasing, naming calling, and any form of hurtful comments.
Social/Friend Bullying
This is the one that you see in all the teen movies with the popular girl, like Regina George or Chanel Oberlin. It involves ostracizing, spreading rumors, not speaking to someone, and/or not acknowledging their presence. Friend bullying can also be where you have a friend that constantly says or does mean things “as a joke”.
Cyberbullying
As of recently, bullying has reached a new level, thanks to cyberbullying. Again, this is another one that come to mind when you think of bullying. This is bullying via social media or any online platform.
As women, it is incredibly necessary to lift each other up. No matter the type of bullying, it is important to intervene if you see bullying occur. There have been too many preventable tragedies that could have been stopped if someone had just stepped up.