Her subsequent death, just one month after spreading her own anti-bullying message on YouTube, has been met with widespread heartbreak.
But since taking her own life last Wednesday, Amanda Todd has brought the subject of bullying, both online and in real-life, firmly back into the spotlight again.
So far her clip, which chronicles her struggles, has been viewed over 3,700,000 times.
Now her father, Norm, is speaking out for the first time to The Vancouver Sun.
“She was very courageous and I really love that she made that video,” said Norm.
“She told me why she made it — she wanted to send a message out so that it wouldn’t happen to someone else, so no one would have to go through what she went through. . . .
“She did that on her own and her message is being delivered now. It makes me happy that her voice is still alive and being heard.
“No matter how many haters there are out there, they can’t hurt her now and her message can keep on going strong. That gives me some peace.”
Norm, who is separated from Amanda’s mom, Carol, also revealed that his daughter asked him to accompany her to a tattoo shop and says that they planned to get tattoos representing the Chinese symbol for strength.
Amanda was also going to get another tattoo, one with the words “Stay Strong” on her arm (it was a nod to Demi Lovato as she has that on her wrist)
Now, Norm reveals as a tribute to his daughter, he will get those words inked on his arm. Unfortunately, he will be doing it alone….
She is known for steely determination, but just like the rest of us, Katie Couric suffers from insecurities.
In a surprisingly frank admission, the 55-year-old admits that she suffered from bulimia in her early 20s.
The TV star makes the revelation on today’s edition of her daytime show, according to the New York Post.
“I wrestled with bulimia all through college and for two years after that,” Couric says while talking to Demi Lovato, who has had her own issues.
“And I know this rigidity, this feeling that if you eat one thing that’s wrong, you’re full of self-loathing and then you punish yourself—whether it’s one cookie or a stick of gum that isn’t sugarless—that I would sometimes beat myself up for that.”
According to the New York Post, Couric overcame her struggle with the eating disorder by seeing a therapist.
For many of us, cutting hasn’t always been on the mainstream radar. It was something that was keep hidden– taboo, if you will.
But in recent years, cutting amongst teens is on the rise.
In fact, recent studies claim that 1 out of 5 teens hurt themselves. It includes: cutting 72%; self-hitting 30%; hair-pulling,22%; bone breaking 10% and burning 5%.
The figure is shocking and could just be dismissed as a random science study.
But unfortunately, that is not the case.
Yona Levin and Arielle Firestone (pictured above) are both 15. They have spoken to us about the rise and rise of young teens that they know currently cutting themselves, which in some ways, they say, has been a direct result of how young stars in Hollywood behave. They spoke out in an effort to educate other teenagers out there– that cutting to be cool, is not cool.
According to the girls, cutting is becoming so prevalent, that (just like the recent findings) they personally know 1 in 5 of their friends who are doing it, or who have tried it at some point in time.
“Before, people were depressed and didn’t know how to cope with it, but now celebrities walk around almost publicizing it, it makes it a new fad,” explains Arielle.
“When I was in 5th or 6th grade I heard about people doing it,” she says. “Now, I personally know kids who have cut themselves.”
Yona adds that it’s become so commonplace amongst teens that everyone knows someone who is doing it.
“Everyone has a friend who has done it or is doing it,” she says. “It’s now not abnormal to know someone who is cutting themselves.”
The pair both say that teens lack of role models isn’t helping the cause either.
“There’s almost a glorification from celebrities that it is ok to do it,” says Yona.
Just days ago, Miley Cyrus stepped out in L.A with evident marks on her wrist. And then there is Lindsay Lohan’s past escapades, where her publicist once infamously claimed Lohan fell into a bush as a means to explain the gashes on her lower arms.
The girls say that this sets a poor example for fans out there.
“It is like people want their marks to be seen as a cry for attention but also, it’s a blame game whereby they blame fans because they have too much attention,” says Yona. “But, stars should be thanking their fans for supporting them.”
When asked who represented good role models to impressionable young teens these days, the girls listed Emma Watson, Selena Gomez and Hilary Duff because none of the three have fallen by the Tinseltown wayside when they have had numerous opportunities presented to them to do so.
And the person they both admire the most? Demi Lovato.
“She admits and accepts that she has been through bad times and she is focused on staying positive and helping others,” they said.
Incidentally, Lovato has addressed the issue of cutting in the August issue of Self magazine.
“There were times I felt so anxious, almost like I was crawling out of my skin – that if I didn’t do something physical to match the way I felt inside, I would explode,” the X Factor judge, 19, says.
“I cut myself to take my mind off that. I just didn’t care what happened. I had no fear.”
Lovato, who checked into treatment to battle her “emotional issues”, has been a source of positivity since leaving rehab, trying to educate others who feel like it is their only escape from depression.
And what message do Yona and Arielle have for teenagers out there contemplating on jumping on the “fad” bandwagon?
“It’s not something that makes you cool– it is something serious and people need to understand that,” they say. “It’s not the answer; it’s not going to make you feel better about yourself– it’s going to leave you with scars, and worst case, you could die.”
ED’S NOTE: We are in no way claiming the Miley Cyrus inflicts self-harm upon herself.
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