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Big Brother Reality TV Show
Celebrity Inspires New Movement
To Help Bullies Apologize
Krista Stegall was on Season Two of CBS-TV’s hit reality show, Big Brother. While on the show she was cyberbullied by trolls who started I Hate Krista pages. This hurt Krista terribly. It also did do something really wonderful at the same time. Now that she knew how it bad it felt to be bullied, it reminded her of a time she was mean to someone.
When Krista transferred to the junior high school in Opelousas, La. as an 8th Grader, she desperately wanted to fit in with the popular crowd. The leader of the popular girls told her she had to make a boy named Marc Aymond fall in love with her then drop him like a hot potato. On that dare, Krista wrote Marc notes about wanting to go out with him. They began talking on the phone and he opened up to her and considered her his first girlfriend.
Then Stegall did something she’s regretted ever since. She told Marc it had all been a joke and she never intended to date him. As Marc remembers it, she called him a “nerd” and “loser” and said “he could never measure up to her actual boyfriend.”
Krista contacted Hey U.G.L.Y. and shared her story in the hopes of helping others not do what she had done. With her permission, Hey U.G.L.Y. launched “Project Apologize,” a movement where youth, and adults, reach out to those they have bullied and apologize. On the ProjectApologize.org website, people are urged to do the right thing by apologizing then email their stories to PreventBullyingNow@heyugly.org for posting on this page to motivate others to take this important step in ending and healing bullying.
With Krista’s permission, Hey U.G.L.Y. reached out to Marc. He said being hurt this changed him from being a naïve kid to a tougher guy. He hung posters of Rambo in his bedroom. He wore camouflage clothing and stopped talking to other kids.
“I felt like the laughing stock of the school. I considered suicide and I became a cutter,” Marc said. “I felt worthless. “But Krista didn’t make me live with the pain. That was something I choose to do. My advice to kids today is that bullies bully kids who are weak. Don’t let anything in life make you weak. I believe everyone has the ability to grow strong. And if you are carrying pain inside of you like I did, seek help. Do not isolate yourself from family and friends. If you don’t have friends, make some or join a club. I got into martial arts when I was 17. I now teach it.”
| B E B R A V E A N D A P O L O G I Z E Email your apology story to PreventBullyingNow@heyugly.org and we’ll post it below to inspire others. You could win a free T-shirt.
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Apology Story from Alexis Smith Hello, my name is, Alexis Smith. I’m 17 years old and I’m from Chicago. I have been a victim of bullying for years, I still am. But I have also been a bully myself! I’m extremely ashamed of my actions, I wish I could take all I said and done back but I can’t. So the next best thing to do is apologize once again to people who I have hurt and share my story with Hey U.G.L.Y. allowing people to learn from my mistake. Due to the fact that I was bullied I thought if I bullied people it would make people see that I was tough and they would final stop bullying me. As I got older I realized that bullying doesn’t solve the problem. I bullied two of my friends. I know its weird and shocking. My friend who I will call Amy called me but I told her I can’t talk at the moment and I would call her back two hours later. I called Amy back and she said “I don’t want to talk to you.” I said” Fine, you’re a bitch and that’s why you were adopted because your real mom didn’t want you.” After that, Amy and I didn’t talk for a month. One day, I called Amy and apologized. She accepted my apology and we became friends again. I invited her over my house for sleepovers and a bar-b-q. Amy and her family took me rock climbing, to restaurants,to the movies and Six Flags. I was very thankful and lucky that I didn’t lose such a good friend like Amy. My other friend, who I will call Kim, is my best friend. It was Kim’s 16th birthday party. Kim told me her sister was going to pick me up from my house and take me to her house where the party was. The day of the party I got ready and I had Kim’s gifts wrapped. Kim’s sister waited until the last minute to text me from Amy’s cell and said, “I’m sorry but I can’t pick you up.” I was so angry, hurt, and more importantly confused. Hours into the party, Kim texted me and said, “Alexis, I’m sorry!” I said “Kim, I don’t care what you have to say and if you don’t stop texting me I will tell everyone we know that you have a disease. Don’t ever talk to me again!” Kim said, “No, no please, I will do anything for you!” I didn’t texted black. Kim and I didn’t talk for three months, She would call my house but I wouldn’t pick up. I don’t know what came over me but one day, when Kim called, I picked up and we apologized to each other. Our friendship is stronger now than ever because of what happened. I never told anyone about Kim’s disease because, if I did, it would have ruined her life! Looking back on both solutions I could have acted much more responsibly. These solutions could have turned out much differently. I just wanted to say to I am deeply sorry from the bottom of my heart to Amy and Kim! |
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Apology Story from Holli Miller I thought I would share my story. I was being mean to this boy in my class for his weight. I called him many names and after reading the article on HeyU.G.L.Y.org about Project Apologize I decided to apologize. We are now friends and we help each other and are best friends. It was kinda hard to apologize because I didn’t want to seem weak or something like that. I felt better after I apologized. It felt really good to know this other person was not mad at me and that we became good friends afterwards.
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