I was horrifically bullied at school for many years and had body dysmorphic disorder as a result. I’d just entered a good stage in my life when I was 15, I had a new seemingly good group of friends, my acne and braces were gone, I was a perfect weight and had just been asked out for the first time.
There was a girl in my friendship group who, looking back, was extremely sick. She had started making up lies about me, trying to cause trouble for me. Her parents phoned my parents about a “terrible period of bullying” I’d allegedly been putting her through with a detailed series of events that week . Only problem? Not only did I not bully her at any point...I was in hospital and hadn’t even been at school that week. As my Mum and the teachers pointed out! Didn’t stop my friends parents from being contacted and told that I’d been doing terrible stuff though! She did a lot of things for attention, would tell everyone she was throwing up her lunch and come out of the bathroom with food smeared all over her face as if she’d been sick, she’d act like she was self harming in class but usually she was drawing scars and bruises on herself, she’d go through phases of “coming out” but she was actually straight and she’d become paranoid about people and create fights because she didn’t think they liked her. We’d initially been friends and I had no problems with her at all, got along well, was kind to her etc but it all started going wrong when the boy she liked asked me out and told her he only saw her as a friend. Then she started this bizarre smear campaign against me.
Very early on, before I knew she hated my guts, I was invited to her birthday party. I was really excited because due to all the bullying, I’d never felt safe enough to go to a party so this was my first one and all my friends were going to be there. There was a dress code which I followed and as it was in a different city and I was still a little anxious as a hangover from the bullying, my Mum’s best friend decided to drive both me and my Mum to the city and they stayed in a pub close by “just in case”. Thank God they did!
Due to the previous bullying I had very low self esteem about the way I looked plus BDD. Ironically, I was a child model until I got bullied and looking back, I can see that during this period I was actually very pretty but saw a monster when I looked in the mirror.
I’d made a real effort to look nice and I remember my Mum’s best friend coming to pick me up and saying “ahhhh sweetheart, you look absolutely gorgeous. You’ll blow them away.”
Anyway, long story short. About an hour into the night, the evil birthday girl’s mother calls us to gather round as they were having an “Awards Ceremony”. The mother MC’d it all. They’d printed off certificates, arranged for spotlights to be set up, had a microphone and everything. Took it very seriously clearly! And they proceeded to give out awards to everyone there, like “kindest friend”, “most creative”, “funniest”. After almost everyone had been called up, I started to think “oh, they’ve purposely left me out”. And to be honest, because my self esteem was so crap my idea of getting up in front of everyone to receive a reward was at that point unbearable. Nope.
The girls mother made this huge point of announcing the “prettiest girl” award 
, making this ridiculously fawning speech. And of course, the winner was The Birthday Girl. And we all clapped and smiled and were very happy and ready to move on, but during this speech and “acceptance” of the award I noticed that the mother and the birthday girl were smiling at me in this really sick way.
Oh...hang on...they’d forgotten one award hadn’t they? They announced the “worst looking” award, as Birthday Girl’s mother said “to be given to the person who always looks a mess and is a fashion victim”. And announced my name. I hesitated and then the mother angrily said “come on be a good sport and don’t ruin my daughter’s birthday”. I got up, was shaking, was forced to have my picture taken with the “award” and “give a speech”. I can’t remember what was said but the mother said something really sick and patronising to me under her breath and the birthday girl was stood there with the sickliest sweetest smile on her face. Her and her mum kept whispering and smiling sickly at me. I realised at that point that her mum was just as nasty and evil as she was. To make it worse all my supposed friends laughed at me. Standing up there with lights shining on me, receiving this “award”, having my photo taken while all the kids from school that I trusted and needed in my life laughed at me was just horrible. I feel sick thinking about it now.
I put on a brave face then made my excuses and left pretty early and as soon as my Mum and her Best Friend turned up I collapsed crying in a heap in the car. I can just remember my Mum’s friend shaking her head and saying “but you look beautiful. They must just be jealous. Do you think we could go back in and show her mum how upset you are and maybe she’d explain it was a joke?” and then both her and my mum saying “what kind of mother does that?” It was so calculated and planned.
I managed to distance myself from her after that but often wondered what she went on to be like as she got older. Everyone had to pander to her moods or she’d decide she wanted to destroy anyone who didn’t give her enough attention. I’d imagine she’s a class A narc these days and her mum probably still indulges her!