Secret Deodorant's Mean Stinks Anti-Bullying Campaign.

Wow - a lot has happened since I last wrote here the end of May.  I hope all of my teen beauty readers are having a great summer.  I know I am. 

Before I talk about this amazing campaign that Secret Deodorant is doing, how about a little life update first. 

I finished my first year of high school with.  Yeah! It was rough, and I did study a lot.  I played on both the Volleyball and Basketball team, which was so much fun.  I volunteered at a summer camp as soon as school got out. It was rewarding, but very challenging.  I was in charge of a group of 2nd graders! Soon after that, I celebrated my sweet 16 birthday with a nice party and then a trip with three of my besties to NYC. It was so much fun and I can't thank my mom and dad enough.  And yes, I got a car and my learners permit, so watch out! Ha, ha, ha!!!

I will be back in school in less than a month, which I don't even want to think about now.  I still have some summer to enjoy, but will soon be dealing with the daily pressure of high school once again. One of the worst things about high school is bullying.  Now, if you didn't read my moms article about this great Mean Stinks program earlier in the year, take a minute to go to that post and read about it.  It is an important one.  Here is that post: Mean Stinks: A New Program from Secret.

Back to bullying.  I deal with it.  We all deal with it.  When I made the sports teams I was called out by some who thought they should have made the team and not me.  That was bullying.  On both the volleyball and basketball court I was pushed and called names.  Very unsportsmanlike, I know! But it happens.  I realize some of it comes with the game, but there were a few times that I can claim all out bullying.  Especially when one whole team ran out after us as we were trying to get on our bus to leave.  They lost and were poor sports about, but calling us out on our skills and telling us to "watch out" was not called for. Yes, that was bullying.  When I did well in school and received honors, people talked behind my back.  Some Facebook friends (which are no longer) even listed many of us who made honors as the goodie-two-shoes of the class.  What was that? Bullying! It happens, it is a part of daily life unfortunately. Honestly, and especially because of just that, I was almost afraid to tell anyone that I got a car for my birthday. Being afraid because of bullies - crazy right?  What I wasn't ready for was to see it happen between the second graders that I counseled at camp.  I witnessed physical and mental bullying.  It really is a problem. No, I would say an epidemic.  Thank goodness for these programs like Mean Stinks.

Since the program began earlier this year, Secret has learned a lot. According to a new survey by Secret Deodorant on behalf of its "Mean Stinks" campaign, almost half of college aged students have experienced or witnessed bullying or mean behavior at college or in the work environment. (Survey conducted of over 1,000 young women aged 16 – 21.)   Out of all of the young women surveyed, 74% admitted to an act of bullying in the last year, with 1/3 saying they have bullied in the last week.  Yet 71% of girls admitted to ignoring someone being bullied because they were not sure what to do. 

Guess what? I ignore it all the time too. I do not know what to do when I see it or hear it.  I am trying to learn more and really want to become active with this program in the hopes of doing so.  The “Mean Stinks” campaign and Facebook community was created to address the growing need for young women to gain strength, support and access to resources to take a stand against bullying.  It also encourages those who have done something mean in the past to change their actions through interactive forms -- such as submitting an apology or sharing a compliment.  Since February, the community has grown to more than 178,000 strong.  Rachel Simmons, NYT’s best-selling authorof Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls, has worked with Secret in developing these online resources and tools. 

Also, Secret is partnering with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center by donating a portion of proceeds from select Secret Clinical Strength purchases to its prevention efforts.  Consumers can request a coupon at Facebook.com/MeanStinks and for every Secret Clinical Strength coupon redeemed, Secret will donate $1.

Finally, Secret has just partnered with Glee’s Amber Riley! I love her! Amber plays Mercedes on the show - isn't she great?  She just joined up with Secret to challenge girls to make a change by standing strong and leading by example.  Her personal experiences with bullying will be shared on the Mean Stinks Facebook Page and you can watch Amber’s tips for ending the mean streak here. 

Like I said, this is an EPIDEMIC that needs to be stopped. I really am going to learn and step in for others and learn to speak up for myself more.  It really is the only way to stop the cycle.

I hope you check out everything about Mean Stinks and enjoy the rest of your summer!