HEEELP! MY PANTS FELL DOWN!!
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! HELP!! š
Yesterday, all of my pants were in the wash, so I had to borrow my brotherās. During PE I was running around, and forgot my pants were a few sizes too big. Well guess what happened? My pants fell down!! Everyone saw me in my trunks, even the girls, and now this is all people are talking about. The news has gotten around the whole school! But the worst thing is that someone got a picture of me, and now they have posted it on the internet where everyone can see it! What should I do? I’m so embarrassed!! Please write back soon, I am DESPERATE!
Humiliated And Helpless
Hey Humiliated And Helpless,
Okay, Iām not gonna lie. This is BAD. In twenty years, itāll be a story you laugh about when you tell your kids. But right now? This is Defcon 1 bad. (Did you know Defcon 1 is the worst? Some people think Defcon 5 is the worst, but it really goes in reverse. NOT actually the point right now, I know, butā¦fun fact!)
So, this is an actual nightmare many people have ā suddenly being undressed in public ā only it really happened to you. That would be bad enough, but to have it recorded and posted on the internet? That brings it to another level. A CYBERBULLYING level.
Sharing humiliating photos online of someone else without their permission is 100% covered by your schoolās bullying policy and itās the kind of behavior that needs to be stopped. Whether or not your school takes action (though Iād be shocked if they donāt), you can report the photo to whatever website they posted it to ā Twitter, Instagram, whatever. They all have ways to report abusive content, which this definitely is.
Even if there hadnāt been photos, this would have been super embarrassing, no doubt. And Iām sure lots of people were talking about it. But in the time itās taken me to read your letter and respond, Iām pretty sure theyāve also probably moved on to the next juicy item of gossip. We donāt have very long attention spans, which is a good thing in this situation.
If people DO keep bringing it up, the very best thing you can do is make a joke of it and act like you think it was hilarious too. I know itāll be hard. I know youāre mortified. But if you make yourself a target, people will take aim. Find a way to laugh with them and theyāre more likely to move on.
Normally Iām all about telling people to be themselves, but this is the rare case when you actually want to play a part. Imagine how the most confident, cocky guy in your school would react if this happened to him. Then try to play that part, responding to teasing with the same kind of jokes or who-cares-attitude he would.
Hey. This whole pants-falling-down fiasco could have happened to ANYONE. Itās a big deal because, for some reason, we all think that bodies are embarrassing. But believe me, it will pass.
But the photo getting shared on the internet? Thatās what really bothers me. That didnāt have to happen. Itās not something just anyone would do. Please report it so there are consequences for that bully.
As for everything else, try not to let it bother you.
