““Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.””

As a child growing up in America, I innately grew up on these words, though I cannot say exactly where they came from. I guess it was just a sentiment passed on from generation to generation, as if it was some provincial piece of truth. But now, looking back at the memories which have etched out my life, I realize the flaws inherent to this statement. This statement assumes that physical pain trumps all emotional pain. It assumes that as long as you appear sound that you are. But this statement forgets: bruises will fade; cuts will scab over; bones will mend themselves. Having been bullied myself, I can attest to the fact that words cast in hate are attempts to maliciously define you. They can construct a collage of invisible markings, which your mind renders again overtop your skin every time you stare at your face in a mirror. They can constantly echo in your ears questions of self-worth and value. They can haunt you. It is for this reason that I originally created the idea of “Bullying Words,” a photography campaign, which stands up against bullying and illustrates the lasting effects of words spoken against another person. The following photographs are pieces to this campaign. I thank those photographed for their courage to unearth their buried emotions, I thank the Queer and Ally Society and Artist’s Guild at NYU Shanghai for their sponsorship of the cause, and I thank Nicole Chan, Ng Meizhi, David Santiano, and Claire Schapira for their artistic vision and ability to materialize this idea.

This article was written by Tyler Rhorick. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Nicole Chan, Ng Meizhi, David Santiano, Claire Schapira, Tyler Rhorick