Dear Bully,

It's been nearly 10 years. Despite the passage of a decade, I still find myself thinking about you when I look at the brown hair on my arms.

You probably don't remember me at all. To you I was just some random girl in your social studies class who looked different than the other girls. I had more visible hair on my body and more pimples on my face than I knew how to deal with. When I pick out a new acne wash, I still think about you sometimes.

I remember when I was paired with you and your best friend for a project. I remember how you wouldn't call me by my given name, but how you would call me "Bob" because I looked "butch" to you.

You belittled me during a group presentation. You constantly remarked loudly about my weight and my pimples. You even told the popular girl to buy me some brand name acne wash. You also casually threw a chewed piece of gum in my hair. I sometimes think about it when I brush my hair on a daily basis.

However, I don't only carry terrible memories of you. What has taken me 10 years to realize is you have shown me the true value of kindness.

You have shown me that words are not the defining measure of a person's worth. You made me realize that a person's actions are so much more important than their words.

You showed me that physical appearance should always be about comfort. I was comfortable with how I looked back then. I was much more interested in logging on to MySpace and watching "Gilmore Girls" reruns than trying to pick out the right concealer at 13 years old. If I am comfortable in my own body, who are you to judge?

You taught me what a stereotype was. You showed me it was possible to break these stereotypes. You taught me to raise my voice in protest; you showed me how to stand up for what I believe is right.

All of your words that occasionally travel through the cobwebs of my mind aren't at the forefront because of sadness, but because I'm proud of my self-discovery journey. I've learned I want to educate young girls about in finding their own self-worth. I've learned to focus on the positive healthy aspects of my body over the vanity.

I hope you're well. I hope you do look back on some of the things you said and realize the power of your youthful bullying ways. I don't expect you to realize the positive power your tauntings brought; but I hope you realize to open your mind and think twice before you try to demolish a girl's self worth, because she has the power to prevail.

P.S. The spiky hair was never a good look for you.