The high school prom should symbolize joy, confidence and self-expression-but for a teenager in Illinois, has become a nightmare of harassment and harassment. In the now viral tyktok, Katie Labedzky-Pierga, owner of a boutique of the Cassia boutique and a special occasion, shared an alarming story about a girl who encounters the ruthless harassment, just to buy a purple sparkling dress. The video has already accumulated 7.6 million views.
The dress that started all this
Labedzki-Pierga revealed that after the teenager posted a photo of his newly accepted dress on a Facebook school page dedicated to preventing duplicate prom glances, another student has admired, but has never purchased the same dress outraged. But it was not just a drama in high school; The mother of the other girl escalates the situation by repeatedly calling a boutique, wanted to return the dress and even threaten to turn on her husband.
“You have to take this dress from this girl because my daughter wanted this dress,” the mother insisted. When Labedzki-Pierga refused, the situation stopped. The girl who bought the dress has become a goal of harassment, with reports that her car and house have been exposed.
“I’m afraid of this girl’s life at this moment because I heard that they had already managed to extract her car and her house,” says Labesky-Pierga in her video. “You guys become real. It’s not so serious. “
While the incident provoked outrage and pouring out support for a harassed teenager, he also raised an important question: why is the average culture of girls still thriving and what can parents do to stop it?
Related: Mom says her daughter harassed other children over their clothes – so she wants advice
Growing on included does not mean girls
The dispute over viral proms emphasizes the urgent need to raise girls who rise each other rather than to tear each other. As Labedzki-Pierga says, “If the elderly harass adults, then why are we surprised that this happens in high school?”
At Maternal, We believe in promoting kindness and inclusion among girls and research shows that parents play a key role in this. In the article “Breeding girls who are included instead of vile girls”, Motherly provides practical strategies for raising empathy and kindness in children. Here are some assumptions:
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Incorporation of the model: Children absorb behavior from adults in their lives. If parents gossip, exclude or react with hostility, their children are likely to reflect these actions. Instead, demonstrate kindness by perceiving diversity in your own friendships and social circles.
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Encourage empathy: Help your child enter the shoes of someone else by asking questions like, How do you think she felt when it happened? This encourages emotional intelligence and helps children recognize the impact of their actions.
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Praise kindness, not just achievements: Move the focus from external success (like being the best athlete or the most popular student) to internal values, such as being a good friend and standing up for others.
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Learn confidence, not aggression: There is a difference between standing for yourself and leaving others. Encourage your child to communicate his or her feelings and needs while respecting others.
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Help them recognize toxic behavior: Sometimes girls go with the average behavior for fear of becoming the next goal. Teach them to identify exceptional actions and have the courage to say, That’s not good.
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Create an inclusion culture: Encourage players, group activities and events that bring together different social groups. When children learn to mix with a variety of peers early, it is more likely to evaluate the inclusion later.
As parents, teachers and role models, we have the power to shape the next generation of girls into confident, supporting leaders. The virus dressing incident is a heartbreaking reminder of why we should actively fight the average culture of girls. He starts at home, with the values we suggest to our children every day.
Related: Why did this dad refuse to punish his son for harassment – and what he did instead
Let’s raise girls who know that confidence is not about leaving others – this is in lifting everyone.