November 8 for No H8

November 8 for No H8: Eradicate Hate in the Nail Polish Blogger Community

Bullying is not funny.  It is not cool.  It is not right.  And more importantly, it is not okay.  

Most of us are thankfully residents of countries that support tolerance and many of our families have settled in these places simply for that reason.  Generations later, it is our responsibility to perpetuate that message of tolerance across our new social platforms, including the internet.

As members of the nail polish community, we all share a love of beauty, color, and lacquer.  Other than that, we are remarkably different: from our race to our religion to our hair color and even to our polish application techniques.  To look down on anyone because of those differences is completely unacceptable and today I take a stand against that.  I refuse to allow other people's view of "normal" dictate how I behave, believe, and blog.  

In solidarity with a multitude of bloggers linked below, my purple manicure represents my proud commitment to the No H8 movement.  Today, November 8, I dedicate my post  to ending bullying of any kind and to encouraging diversity and imperfection among our colorful community.

Bullying has touched the lives of some people close to me. It is senseless and cruel and has no place in today's society. The sad thing is it is still difficult to get the assistance of schools and parents and the behavior is left to continue until it's too late. Whether it leaves a child in so much despair they feel no other recourse than to take their own life as in the sad case of Amanda Todd, or the child is able to turn it around and build their self-esteem up in spite of it as in the case of Whitney Kropp, bullying has got to be addressed and society needs to be educated.

My mani today uses one of my favorite polishes, Nerd Lacquer Eight Gates. It is overa base of Layla 64 - African Violet. 

Please take this seriously, you may think you are "just teasing" someone or joking but it is easy to let "teasing" get out of hand. Bullying is not funny, it's not acceptable and it will NOT be tolerated. 

If you or someone you know suffers from bullying, there is help.  Please visit the following sites for support and encouragement:

Stopbullying.gov

Report Cyber-bullying

National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800.273.TALK (8255)

Eradicate H8