Let’s face it, kids go through a stage where anything and everything you say is just soooo uncool. But when it comes to celebs, athletes, and the like, their words can really hold weight! Your kids might be shocked to know that their favorite heroes on TV, movie screens, or sports fields were once kids just like them. Even THEY went through bullying. Let's dive into what some of these stars have to say about their experiences.
Celebrities Who’ve Been There
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is not just a pop icon; she's also a fierce advocate against bullying. In her heartfelt chat with Oprah Winfrey on "Oprah's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus," Lady G talks about her own battles with bullying and how they shaped her. She also founded the Born This Way Foundation, which is all about kindness and bravery (Harvard Law School) (Harvard Gazette) .
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart
These two megastars have shared their own tales of overcoming tough times and bullying. Their candid chat on YouTube is both hilarious and touching, showing how they turned their struggles into strengths, and how your kid can too. You can check out their banter and insights here.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez has been super open about her experiences with bullying and how it inspired her hit song "Who Says." One of the most inspiring interviews is when she shared how she responds to negativity. You can watch Selena´s inspiring talk here.
Kevin Love
NBA star Kevin Love has been leading the charge on and off the courts. Off the court, he is a MVP advocate for mental health awareness. He's been extremely open in sharing his own struggles with anxiety and depression, and by doing so is offering hope and encouragement to many people across the world, both kids and parents. His talk sharing the advice he would give his 15-year-old self is a particular must-see on YouTube.
Emily Blunt
Did you know Emily Blunt had a childhood stutter? And look at her now, ac actress on movie screens in front of millions, expertly delivering line after line. She’s spoken about overcoming it, offering a powerful message about resilience. Her story is shared in endearingly Emily style here.
Simone Biles
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has been open about her mental health struggles and experiences with bullying. Many of her interviews and her social media accounts offer great insight on how she has overcome body shaming, bullying, and more, learning to not listen to what naysayers say, standing up for herself, and leaning on her adoptive family for support, all while making her way to winning MANY, many Olympic gold medals.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato has been very vocal about her experiences with bullying and its devastating impact on her life. Kids seeing how she has been able to find her voice, literally, and use it to sing beautiful songs, and now raise awareness, can help them feel less alone and realize they can also use their voices to be heard.
Shawn Mendes
It’s hard for kids to imagine someone so famous and popular as Shawn Mendes ever feeling like the uncool kid in school. While Sean would be the first to tell — or sing to — you “There’s Nothing Holdin´ Me Back” now, he talks in interviews and on social media about being bullied when he was younger and how it deeply affected his self-esteem. His shedding light on how this ill treatment stems more from the bullies´ own insecurities versus anything wrong with ourselves is a game changer that kids really need to hear right now, especially coming from a cool celebrity icon versus, you know, dad (sigh).
How We Can Use These Stories to Support Our Kids and Offer Hope
We Can Watch Together: These videos make for great viewing with your kids. They can see that their idols — those superstars who seem so perfect and who always appear to have not a care in the world — have faced similar challenges, just like your kids are facing right now, and they came out stronger.
Discussion Points: After watching, this is a perfect chance and a rare small window to chat with your kids about what they felt while watching (maybe they are going through a similar scenario they hadn’t figured out how to tell you about yet). Maybe they will share what they learned, or you can simply discuss how they can apply any lessons they took away from the videos and explore any feelings the videos brought up together in a safe space.
Additional Resources: I have often found that if a celeb or athlete speaks out once about bullying, mental health, or similar issues once, it is something that is important to them, so they will often use their platform to highlight these issues. That is why sometimes following these celebs on social media (use your own discretion as to who and where, of course) can provide ongoing inspiration and support, even if it is just an inspirational quote shared to their (millions) of fans. It just may be exactly what you and your kiddos needed to hear that day.
And for parents who prefer scholarly sources for inspiration and leading, you will be happy to hear that studies show that relatable role models can significantly influence children's behavior and resilience. For example, according to research published by the National Library of Medicine, exposure to stories of overcoming adversity can enhance children's coping strategies and self-efficacy, and more. So, go on, step in line to swoon over Taylor Swift right beside your tweens and teens (the Eras tour was a BIG hit with my daughter), and turn that volume up particularly loud when she calls out bullying for what it really is: People throwing rocks at things that shine! It’s all (really) good. You’re backed by science!
And speaking of science, just remember that as you and your child explore these resources, Genie is always here to be a support and provide a safe place for your child to be themselves, safe from online bullying. Through Genie, kids can explore and have fun while you, the parents, can feel assured of their security and well-being.
Shine On (and Down with Rocks),
Darius
