If you haven’t heard the Amanda Todd story then you should watch this video. Media says she was bullied to death – she recently committed suicide. Not long before her suicide she made this video telling her story. There’s more to this story than bullying, in fact I’m not sure you can call it bullying. Amanda was abused and victimized. The kids who assaulted her need to be charged and the man who blackmailed her needs to be found and put in jail. He’s a sexual predator creeping on young insecure girls through the internet and when he doesn’t get what he wants from them he ruins their life. That’s what happened to Amanda, he threatened her and then he followed through with his threat. He knew everything about her, her address, her school, her friends – it’s damn scary. You think your kids are safe behind closed doors. The other side of this story is what society is doing to young girls. How is it we’ve come so far but not really. It’s nothing new that young girls are interested in being pretty and desirable to men, but it’s gotten out of hand today. All the images that girls receive from the media adds up to one thing – girls can never be good enough – we need to be perfect or else we won’t be loved. My sister is ten years my senior and I can remember when I was young all the kids in my neighourhood considered her to be beautiful. That’s all I heard “your sister is so beautiful” and she really was beautiful and still is beautiful. The ridiculous thing is even adults were going on about her being beautiful and I had adults saying to me “if you grow up to be half as beautiful as your sister you’ll be lucky!” What a bloody stupid thing to say – what was I chopped liver? Why do I have to look like by sister to be considered beautiful, why can’t I look like me and why is beautiful such an important thing? I can happily say that I never hated my sister, nor did I spend my life wishing I looked like her. I don’t look anything like her but I’m me and she is she, we are both unique and we both have many different qualities. Back then we didn’t have the internet and I hardly watched tv so there weren’t these images popping up in front of me all the time telling me that I had to be perfect, but society back then did the same thing society does today – look how beautiful your sister is, you will be lucky if you look like her. Today images of beautiful, perfect woman are constantly on display to our children telling them that this is what you have to be to be happy and successful. It was a load a crap what the neighbours said to me about my sister and it’s a load a crap what the media is saying to our children today. The perfect woman is not the images you see on tv or in the magazine. The reality is most of these woman have major insecurities and spend a lot of money on cosmetic surgery only to be forever unhappy. That’s the message we should be getting across to our children rather than idolizing beauty, fame, and money.
Essentially that’s the sad part of the Amanda Todd story – she was innocently looking for attention on a chat line, looking to be admired and considered beautiful. Really no different than a lot of girls but the result of her insecurities ended up being on public display for everyone to see. The picture of her flashing is forever out there and she can never get that back. Amanda’s video is so much more powerful than the flash picture and if she just hung on another day maybe she would of been just a little bit stronger and went on to help girls her age dealing with the same issues. The difference between today and tomorrow is just that – another day. Another day could be the day you’re waiting for, another day could be the day you will be strong, another day could be the day that you feel confident, another day could be the day that you make a difference in someone’s life, another day could be the day that you feel happy. Without another day there is no hope, there is only sorrow, so grab another day and run with it, make it your day, every single day. Amanda wrote her story and she shared her words with everyone – learn by her words and look around you because there are plenty Amanda’s out there in desperate need of a friend.
“Today’s beautiful moments are tomorrow’s beautiful memories.”
MOMWHEARINGLOSS 