Someone's appearance

A person might be bullied due to their physical appearance, such as a clear distinctive mark on their face, for example a birthmark or scars (1).

Also the way people dress can make them stand out from others, this can create a situation where the person dressing differently might be bullied (2).

Many people who experience this may have their self-esteem slowly dwindled away as so does their ability to argue back as they will often accept the remarks made about them (2).

Some people may cut themselves off from the world as they see themselves as outcasts or unwanted by people they know, when in fact it is the opposite and they just need a little bit more love plus time to rebuild their lives (3).

Other differences on how a person looks are their hair colour, style and their height (2).

There are many differences as we are all different in some shape or form, this makes us unique and gives no one the right to bully us for it. We are all different at the end of the day.

References on this page:

1. Clarke, Alex and Psychol, C. (2001) Managing the psychological aspects of altered appearance: the development of an information resource for people with disfiguring conditions. Patient Education and Counseling, 43(3), pp.307-311.

2. Lovegroove, Emily and Rumsey, Nichola. (2005) Ignoring It Doesn’t Make It Stop: Adolescents, Appearance, and Bullying. Cleft Palate-Craniofacia Journal, 42(1), pp.32-44.

3. McCabe, Randi E., Antony, Martin M., Summerfeldt, Laura J., Liss, Andrea & Swinson, Richard P. (2003) Preliminary examination of the relationship between anxiety disorders in adults and self-reported history of teasing or bullying experiences. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 32(4), pp.187-194.

Page last updated: 1 January, 2021