Among poetry’s many functions, stands out the willingness to express feelings, to reveal, to denounce or to spread an important message.
“Equality is education […] Equality is Truth, is strong, is breaking through the silence that exists because silence can’t exist if it’s not tolerated.”
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Who is Aija Mayrock ?
Aija Mayrock, is a 24 years old poet, activist & self-help author born in New York City and raised in Santa Barbara, California. She studied Social Justice, Women’s studies and Writing at New York University, which she graduated from.
The poet is slowly but surely starting to be a well known public figure on Instagram.
In addition to posting motivational videos about Mental Health, Self Confidence, and Equity, she appeared several times on the Feminist’s Instagram account.
Mayrock also performed her poetry at the GirlBoss Rally which is a conference and community for ambitious women. Girlboss Rallies are known for their inspiring conversations, skill-building workshops, and networking opportunities.
At 14 years old, she wrote and directed a short film about bullying which was rewarded by a Santa Barbara 10-10-10 award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
The Survival Guide to Bullying
Mayrock’s activism starts with her book: « The Survival Guide to Bullying, written by a teen ». She discussed her book in an interview with BUILD in 2015 and more recently, on her Instagram account where she talked about the reasons which pushed her into writing the antibullying best seller.
The activist claims to have been bullied physically, verbally and even online from the age of 8 to 16, over her appearance, and the lisp & stutter she used to struggle with.
Therefore, she explained that she started to write when she was about 16 years old because « around that same time, there were so many young people committing suicide from bullying » but the book only got published when she was 19 years old because she was considered to be too young.
By writing her book as a bullied teenager herself, her goal was to reach out to other struggling teenagers in order to give them hope and help them overcome their insecurities and fears, all while raising awareness about suicide : « I wanted to show young people struggling that they weren’t alone and suicide wasn’t the answer », she said.
She told her Instagram fans, or as she likes to call them, the « Aija Fam », that her book includes ten poems and that, while she was touring to promote the book, everyone wanted her to perform them which made her fall « deeper in love with writing poetry » and enticed her to publish poetry videos on Instagram.
The Truth About Being a Girl
“I stepped out into the world and I opened my eyes to the truth about being a Girl.”
The truth about being a girl is a piece of poetry written By Aija Mayrock to denounce a society that is never satisfied with women’s appearance and intellect.
In her powerful yet touching speech, the poet talks about the inequalities and injustices that girls and women have to face on a daily basis, whether it concerns their bodies, their love lives or their working careers. She takes on the role of spokesperson for the women’s community by proudly claiming: « I am not an object. I have a voice and something to say. Do not assume that I belong in your bedroom, I belong in a conference room ».
The Poetry was first performed by Mayrock a year ago at one of GirlBoss’s Rallies before being filmed with BuzzFeed, making it an official video on youtube. With over 4.4M views, the video is a success and the activist continues to raise awareness in many ways.
The Power Suit
“There is no such thing as highlighting your greatest assets. You are your greatest asset.”
During her interview with The Forecast, the writer explained her past struggles with bullying and how it impeded her from appreciating her body to the fullest and find a swimsuit that would fit her due to her curvy body, “After working through the bullying and working on myself, I turned my pain into power” she stated ; hence the reason why she decided to partner with SummerSalt to create a Power Suit that would allow any woman to feel confident with their morphology.
The swimsuit is a black one-piece with a touch of Sangria color. It is said to provide secure boob support, waist definition, and lots of confidence.
On this picture, Mayrock is proudly revealing her curves in the swimsuit and claims the need to help other women to feel comfortable and sexy. Therefore, she is fighting against society’s beauty ideal because -like stated in her poetry- she wants to be seen as beautiful too.
Additional Instagram Q&A To Get To Know Aija Mayrock Better
Fan’s question : « Who’s made the most significant impact in your life? »
– Answer : « My family. They have raised me to speak my truth, to chase my dreams, and never let anyone change my vision. »
Fan’s question : « What are your thoughts on girls who bring other girls down? »
– Answer : « It breaks my heart. It happens so often. I understand why it’s so common. I think we live in a culture where we are so hyper competitive with one another. I really hope that’ll change and girls will come together, support one another, and lift each other up. In the Aija Fam, we lift each others up! We let each other shine. We support one another. »
Fan’s question : « Do you think men are a valuable asset to feminism
or should they stay out of it? »
– Answer : « Of course they are!!! I am so against when people shame men when talking about gender equality or feminism. There is no progress in that. And like why?! We need you all! Let’s band together. Feminism ISN’T one group of people being better than the other. It’s equal rights, opportunity and success. »
Fan’s question : « How can I be a better version of myself everyday? »
– Answer : « Challenge Yourself. Set goals for yourself every day that are out of your comfort zone. Cancel your bad habits. Life is about growth. It’s about the journey, not the destination. Trust in that, push yourself to grow, and know that we are ever changing. »
Our truth about bullying
As most of this article deals with bullying, we thought it would be coherent to ask some people to open up about their past or current experiences with bullying, to allow you to either identify with them or understand the consequences of Bullying.
If you have ever bullied someone, this is even better. It would -hopefully- allow you to reconsider your past actions and understand the pain you made people endure. And seriously, you need to calm down.
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!!! Trigger Warning: The following content might include references to topics such as self-harm, violence and eating disorders. If you are not comfortable with it, please do not read. !!!
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– Anonymous : « For me, It started in primary school, mostly in the 4th Grade. It was often because of the fact that I was not like the others…. I was different, or at least, i felt different. The bullying could take many forms, and it was not only in real life but as I grew up it became a thing on social media too. And today, even if I gained confidence, the bullying that happened before sometimes comes back to my mind. It obviously comes back because it scarred me at some point and it’s like, you cannot get rid of it. »
– Arianna, 19 years-old : « I actually don’t know how to start because it shocked me. I was a victim of cyberbullying this summer. How it started? I was simply defending another victim and then I ended up being a victim myself.
I had never felt like that, I had never been cyber-bullied in my life so it was all new for me. Trust me, I was aware of mean people on internet and I know a person who was cyberbullied in the past, but when it’s not you being the victim, you can’t really fully understand.
I couldn’t sleep, I found myself crying when I was alone in my room, I didn’t want to use my phone anymore, I wanted to throw up all the time, I constantly had headaches and I was feeling completely upset and alone.
It was a group of cyber bullies, I had received mean messages and comments, it was a lot of sh*t. They were just waiting for me to tweet or to post something so they could attack me, again.
They made me look like a person that I am not. They made me look like I am a clown, as if i was the bad person and just the stupid girl. I know, I’m 19 years old and I should be grown enough to be strong and to not care about those comments, but guess what?!
I was sucked in this whirlwind and I couldn’t do anything but just to feel so sad, lonely and put down. I couldn’t say anything to my parents at first because I couldn’t believe it in the first place. With each passing days, I could talk to my older brother and he helped me a little and there was a calm time.
A few days later they started again and I couldn’t handle it. I was crying again and I was scared to read any of theirs comments. I swear, it was the worst time of my entire life and I had several, but this one was literally the worst. After 3 months, they stopped it and I was “free”.
I know they probably found another victim so that’s why but in that moment I felt relieved. At the end, I told everything to my parents, which I know I should have done from the beginning.
I hadn’t mentioned it beforebut I had asked for help to my dearest friends as well and I will forever be grateful to them and also to the books which helped me going through this sh*tty situation. »
– Sara, 22 years old : « His name? I cannot really tell you about it because the thing is, he was not my only bully. They were two but at different periods of my life.
One of them would make it a personal vendetta to make fun of me in front of the class. EVERYDAY. At that time I was 13, I truly didn’t understand what I had done wrong.
But he seemed to think I did and therefore, I used to cry myself to sleep almost every night. I tried putting a strong front, not to show that his words would affect me, but they did.
You see, at 13, you’re becoming a teen, and you start discovering your body step by step. What was simple stuff like acne or body hair would become a joke to him.
I know I wasn’t the only one concerned but he chose me as a target. And it felt like, instead of supporting me and coming to my rescue, other girls would just mock me, not to be mocked too.
Later on, when I was 16, the guy that I liked in high school started to make fun of my weight. Sucks, I know. He probably thought that it was funny but I didn’t and because of him, I started to think negatively about myself, and the more I did, the more I became depressed and I started to make myself vomit for a little while.
Although, after talking with some of my friends and family members, I overcame it. Now that I think about this time, I regret letting other people’s critics ruin my teenage years because it pushed me into taking unhealthy decisions.
There are other solutions to adopt rather than hurting yourself over some dumb kids. If you’re reading this, and you’re hurt right now, I understand your pain, but it’s truly not the solution. I’ve been there, done that. It’s not.
Don’t let others walk on you because you are simply different. Bullies just can’t accept different and it’s sad, but you’ve got to embrace your imperfections.
After reading this, some people might consider me weak for hurting myself, but truth is, I was hurt. And now, I’m more confident and powerful than I ever was. »
– Alexandra, 18 years old : « My mother was never a good parental exemple. She drank a lot and was rarely around. When we moved from our first home, she started to work a lot. She was always in a bad mood after her workdays.
It started with some remarks about my cleaning skills or even the food I made. Then she pointed out my looks, my hair… Sometimes her words were really cruel. She would compare me to a prostitue and would call me wh*re.
At first, I ignored her but when you hear something over and over every day you start to believe it especially when it comes from your family, the people who are supposed to love and protect you no matter what.
When she discovered that I was depressed and that I was cutting because of her, she made it clear that she did not care at all. I couldn’t escape it, I didn’t have any safe place. I was often scared of my father too, as he has an aggressive behavior.
I tried to reach out for help but people wouldn’t believe me, they thought I was just too sensitive. But it was real, I was abused by my mother. It takes time to admit it. It is the hardest part.
But once you know it, it doesn’t affect you the same way. Rare were people who actually helped me.Even my actual boyfriend doesn’t understand the seriousness of their actions.
But I kept going because I knew some day I would be far away and happier. I will definitely need some more time to heal my wounds but things do get better and it is with this in mind that I made it through 3 years of mistreating and bullying from my family. »
Many Forms
As you can see, bullying can take many forms and the bullies can happen to be total strangers to family members. Some people managed to heal with time and carry mental or even physical scars whereas some still have to heal their open wounds, to get closure and finally be at peace.
“It is okay to call for help.”
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Follow Aija Mayrock on Instagram
Check her website
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Source : - https://www.ncab.org.au/bullying-advice/bullying-for-parents/definition-of-bullying
