No H8: Eradicate Hate in the Nail Polish Community

Bullying is not funny. It is not cool. It is not right. And more importantly, it is not okay. 

Most of us are, thankfully, residents of countries that support tolerance and many of our families have settled in these places simply for that reason. Generations later, it is our responsibility to perpetuate that message of tolerance across our new social platforms, including the internet.

As members of the nail polish blogging community, we all share a love of beauty, color, and lacquer. Other than that, we are remarkably different: from our race to our religion to our hair color...even to our polish application techniques. To marginalize anyone because of those differences is completely unacceptable and today I take a stand against that. I refuse to allow other people's view of "normal" dictate how I behave, believe, and blog.

In solidarity with a multitude of bloggers linked below, my purple manicure represents my proud commitment to the No H8 movement. Today, November 8, I dedicate my post to ending bullying of any kind and to encouraging diversity and imperfection among our colorful community.

Hello! Today is a special post, for me and for many others. As it reads above, I wear purple nails today to show my support against bulling and also to bring awareness to the bullying that goes on in our nail community. Not only that but I feel today is about showing no hate in any aspects of our lives.

I, like many others, was a victim of bullying growing up. It was a daily thing. Kids would tell me I was ugly and make fun of my hair or my glasses. It was a nightmare. It took me a long time to get over it and there were days when I felt like I should end it all. No child, no person should ever feel this way. 

I have been blogging for almost a year now and I have been fortunate enough to only come across kindness and support. I finally feel like I have my own little place on the internet, creating nail art with so many beautiful and kind souls. Unfortunately, there are some not so kind people in this community. I am a firm believer if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all. If people have the courage to share their nails with the world, don't cut them down if you don't like them. That is not what the nail community is about. I have learned throughout my year of blogging. that many bloggers are helpful to those starting out. They provide tips and tutorials of all sorts. Bullying someone just because their work isn't perfect just isn't right! We should all support one another. 

Here are my nails for today. Not perfect but that's ok. We are all human and we all make mistakes. We need to show each other support and love, especially for something we are all so passionate about.

Hearts have become a symbol for love and that's the point of my nails today, we should so love toward one another not hate! So if you are new and starting out, don't be discouraged. So what if you manicures aren't perfect? No one is!  Heck I'm not! I share my nails because I love to paint them and I know others would like to see what I come up with. Thank you to all who have shown me nothing but kindness and support, I am very grateful. And much thanks to all the wonderful people participating in today's No H8 post.

If you or someone you know is experiencing bullying, please don't hesitate to reach out to these helpful sites:

Stopbullying.gov

Report Cyber Bullying

National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800.273.TALK (8255)

EradicateH8