Ladies, You’re Embarrassing Yourselves with Your Nasty Messages

Last week, I was spending time with my teenage cousin when she received a message from a girl with whom she used to be friends.

The contents of this message were not only vulgar but just made no sense whatsoever. It was the most immature of attempted insults from a young woman of what I guess to be between 15 and 17 years of age.

I love my cousin so much, and when she is in pain, my heart will be breaking for her. But in that moment, more than feeling sorry for my cousin, I felt so embarrassed for her former friend who had sent the message. I pitied that girl.

I knew nothing about her, nothing of her and my cousin’s falling out. All I knew is that someone who would send a message like that would have to have such low self-esteem, even if she didn’t realise it or didn’t want to admit it to herself.

In the last year, my cousin has become more resilient, more loving, quicker-witted and more sure of herself. I am incredibly proud of her.

On receipt of the message, instead of crying, instead of being angry, instead of her self-esteem being affected, my cousin asked me, “Why would she send that?”

The fact of the matter is I will never understand why young women send these kind of messages. No matter the anger or…