How to Identify a Girl Bully
When you hear the word "bully," typically images of a large, oversized boy comes to mind. However, girl bullies are just as treacherous and damaging as male bullies, but often their behavior is acted out differently than their male counterparts. Follow some steps to identify a girl bully, and learn how to recognize the signs of typical emotional and physical abuse that personifies female bullying behavior.
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Instructions
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Start by determining the girl's influence over the victim's emotional or physical well being. Ask questions that will determine how much of an impact the girl has on the other girl's happiness or feelings of safety. Look for signs of fear, anxiety, depression, or humiliation in the victim to get a good feel of whether or not abuse is going on.
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Notice whether or not relational abuse is being used against the victim in order to control behavior. Pay attention to whether the girl uses rumor mongering, manipulation, humiliation, and cunning in order to control the victim's behavior. Behavior like telling rumors or stealing boyfriends/girlfriends is a good indication of bullying behavior.
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Take notice as to whether cyber bullying or burn book behavior is going on. A burn book is a book in which someone (a bully) writes disparaging remarks about the victim in an effort to humiliate and hurt. Recognize subtle signs of female bullying like snide comments, teasing about weight or sexuality, backstabbing and isolation as a means of causing pain.
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Ask the victim whether or not she feels safe going to school or in social environments. If not, then ask what is preventing her from feeling secure. Take note of decrease in social interaction or self esteem. Eating disorders, depression, and loss of friendships are common with female victims of female bullies.
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Understand that bullying can occur at any age, including college age girls. Hazing is a form of older bullying used by fraternal organizations to invoke fear and humiliation and should also be taken seriously. Report any instances of hazing or bullying to a counselor. Also, discuss possible options that the victim can take in order to prevent continued emotional or physical distress.
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Tips & Warnings
Be on the lookout for subtle bullying behavior from girls. Typically physical violence is not used but emotional and psychological abuse is much more common.
Name calling that is derogatory to women used by women would constitute bullying behavior, names like "****", "****", and rumors about sexuality are common tools used by girl bullies to exert power over others.
Many times, girl bullies look sweet and innocent, but their powers of manipulation are used to maintain this image. Be wary, as looks are often deceiving when it comes to female bullies.
Do not tolerate bullying behavior. Learn proper venues to pursue to prevent further bullying and damage.
