As a young woman, bullying is not something you’d expect to face. It’s an issue most often associated with schoolyards, playgrounds, and younger children. However, recently, I found myself in an uncomfortable situation while at my cleaning job at a secondary school, where a group of teenagers tried to bully me, laughing and mocking me for reasons I couldn’t even understand. In many ways, it was one of the most bizarre and unexpected experiences of my life, but it’s also one that helped me learn valuable lessons about self-confidence, resilience, and the complexity of human behavior.
I was simply going about my job at the secondary school, cleaning as I do every shift but this day turned uncomfortable quickly. I was working in one of the hallways when these teenage girls started laughing. Initially, I didn’t think much of it. Teenagers often hang out in groups, especially in schools, and their energy can be overwhelming. Then i started to here them clearly and it wasn’t just casual chatter anymore. They were making fun of me. Their eyes were focused on me. I could hear the way they whispered to one another.
These two little girls—yes, I called them little girls—were laughing at me, a grown woman doing her job
Being bullied by teenagers as a grown woman felt incredibly strange. I’ve grown accustomed to the typical adult stresses of work, relationships, and personal goals, but this? This wasn’t something I ever expected. The feeling was oddly suffocating. I’m not sure if it was because of the blatant disrespect or the fact that, as an adult, you start to feel that sense of empowerment and confidence that should protect you from things like this. Yet, here I was, experiencing something that was a stark reminder of how bullying doesn’t stop when you grow up.
What struck me the most was how it made me question myself. “Is there something wrong with me?” I thought. “Do I look weird? Am I doing something that makes them think I’m a target?” That’s what bullying does, it chips away at your confidence. You start doubting yourself, questioning if you’re the problem, even though, deep down, you know that it’s the behavior of others that’s the issue.
But honestly I couldn’t care less. I really don’t have the emotional bandwidth to worry about the opinions of two teenage girls who probably don’t know anything other than boys, Instagram filters, and what’s cool to wear this week.
The fact is, I have my own problems to worry about, o=important, grown-up problems that don’t include trying to please a group of teenagers who have clearly never seen the world beyond their limited view of reality. I’m beyond that. They’re still learning and growing, and if mocking someone else is how they seek validation, that’s a problem they’ll have to work through. Not me.
As a Black woman, I also couldn’t help but wonder if there was something deeper going on. Was this simply bullying, or was there an element of racism involved? Sometimes, when you're confronted with such senseless mockery, it can be difficult to separate the two. The laughter, the mocking, and the stares, all of it felt wrong.
Unfortunately, bullying doesn’t stop when you graduate from school or become an adult. Whether it’s from teenagers, coworkers, or strangers, we all face moments of ridicule. But the key takeaway is that it’s not about you. The behavior of others says more about their issues than it does about your worth. It’s easy to internalize the hurtful words of others, but our worth should never be defined by someone else’s opinion of us. That day, I reminded myself that my value doesn’t depend on how others see me or treat me. I’m more than what someone may find amusing or ridicule.
Sometimes, the best way to handle these situations is to remove yourself from them. Engaging with bullies often only fuels the situation. It’s empowering to walk away knowing that you’re above that behavior. While their actions hurt, I also recognized that these teenagers might be dealing with their own struggles. Bullying often comes from a place of insecurity. Truth be told, I’m pretty sure they were just bored and looking for something to make them feel more “grown-up.” It’s classic teenager behavior. So I’ll just let them have their fun. I’ll be over here enjoying my adulthood, paying bills, and having “I’m-too-old-for-this” moments.
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1 Comments
Nice work, keep it up.
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