Getting a brand new piece of clothes and displaying it off to your friends can really feel thrilling and validating. It’s not an expertise that’s restricted to any explicit age. Even gray-haired businessmen will put on a brand new tie across the workplace, making an attempt to lock eyes to get compliments.
In a single occasion, a university pupil who was excited to point out off her enjoyable sneakers was as a substitute met with harsh criticism.
She cried after a ‘bunch of ladies’ in her class made enjoyable of her light-up curler skate sneakers.
Christine Tesalona posts comedic content material to the video-sharing app TikTok. However in an April 2023 video, she shared an emotional second after coping with bullying. We have a tendency to think about bullying as one thing we depart behind when going to varsity. However that’s completely not the case, and Tesalona’s story is considered one of many examples proving it.
She described going to high school, glad to point out off her new wardrobe addition, only for different college students to sprint her pleasure. Tesalona is a nursing pupil at Molloy College in New York State.
In her video, she writes, “POV: [You’re] actually excited ab[ou]t displaying off [yo]ur new outfit however a bunch of ladies in [yo]ur class simply make enjoyable of [yo]u as a substitute,” earlier than she went into extra element about what occurred.
“Once I received to high school in the present day, I used to be actually excited as a result of I simply received these new sneakers that flip into curler skates, and so they mild up,” she mentioned by tears.
She defined that she doesn’t purchase new issues typically, so it is smart why she was so glad to put on them out! “I by no means purchase something good for myself. And I used to be actually excited to go to class in the present day to point out them off,” she continued. The video ends along with her sharing a tragic comment about how she feels after the women laughed at her.
“It doesn’t really feel superb,” she mentioned, choking up extra recounting the expertise.
Folks overwhelmingly supported her, dismissing the haters.
“Present us the sneakers babe. They sound actually cool. In the event that they make you [happy] then that’s all that issues,” one individual commented.
“Darling, I’d like to have mates that gown as cool as you. This breaks my coronary heart, your sense of fashion is superb!” one other added. Tesalona requested the TikTok neighborhood if her outfit alternative was age-appropriate in her video’s caption. “Am I too previous to decorate like this?” she wrote.
Many individuals shared their very own outfit choices that quiet the notion that clothes has an age connected to it.
“I’m 43 this Friday and my birthday outfit features a unicorn headband,” one individual wrote. One other mentioned they’d, “quite make my internal little one glad than others.”
Many individuals known as the group of ladies “jealous” and “insecure” for laughing at Tesalona. She gave thanks within the remark part for everybody’s help and validation.
“I do know it was a small factor to cry over, however I felt like I used to be in fifth grade once more and simply wanted to vent,” she wrote. “Thanks, all people, for all of your sort words-I shall be replying to each single considered one of them as a substitute of learning for finals lol.”
Happily, Tesalona discovered the help she wanted. However a survey discovered that over 63% of scholars in larger schooling witnessed bullying, and over 27% reported being a sufferer themselves. Bullies don’t go away if you become older, so standing up for somebody if you witness it may possibly actually assist. Even a easy act of kindness can imply the world to somebody, like complimenting their new sneakers!
Ethan Cotler is a author residing in Boston. His writing covers leisure, information and human curiosity tales.