Types of Bullying

This picture was part of an article against verbal bullying, the repercussions of such bullying being just as or perhaps even more hurtful than physical bullying. In the picture shown above, several classifications can be made. In this picture, the people who are doing the bullying are wearing form fitting clothes, seem to fit more into the hour glass figure (bigger torsos, flared hips), and are more stylishly dressed in terms of clothing and hairstyling. Their stances can also be noted. Their stances are confident, showing off their bodies to their full advantage. It can be assumed that they are of upper class. The person who is being bullied is wearing loose clothing, seems to have not that much of that distinct hour glass figure, and is less stylishly dressed in terms of clothing and hairstyling. Her stance is more closed, trying to fold into herself. It can be assumed that she is of middle class. The class difference is implied in terms of clothing style, stance, body type. Gender classifications can also be made—when talking about verbal bullying, a female depiction was showed while the figure above it explicating physical bullying was a male depiction. In describing the different types of bullying, males were used to depict aggressiveness, hands on, and confrontational while females were used to depict subtlety, secretiveness, and indirectness/no contact. Exploiting body and cultural references as well as gender references, this picture conveys a message nonverbally reinforcing the message in the article as well as picturing the message in a way that is most understandable to reader in the least possible brain connections.

My reaction to this was that this reinforces the societal view that gossip is a woman’s domain. Women tend to express their dislikes and disagreements verbally and are non confrontational, rather indirect in their communication when dealing with negative societal interactions. Men on the other hand are more physical in dealing with their conflicts—gossip and verbal duels are not a man’s domain. Also conforming to and keeping up to societal standards such as style of dress is a source of defining class while stepping out of these regulations is considered to be out of class.