When mum Kate Stoter discovered teenage girls were being bullied at local schools in her community, it evoked traumatic memories from her own childhood.
Kate remembered being teased relentlessly because her parents were divorced, and told she was “poor” – even though she was too young to know what it meant. It brought back the sinking feeling she had in her stomach for years when kids would insult her because of her looks, and the horrific day a boy humiliated her by calling her “ugly” in front of her entire class.
Keen to help other victims of bullying, the professional photographer from Cairns, Queensland, reached out to a friend to ask if she could photograph her 12-year-old daughter, who had been bullied for years over her strawberry blonde hair and freckles.
The shoot was such a success, Kate has since started the ‘It’s Cool to be Kind’ project. It involves taking powerful, positive images of bullying victims and sharing them on her social media accounts.
“I’d see some of my friends post about hideous bullying incidents their children were experiencing at school and it just broke my heart,” Kate, 40, tells New Idea.
This story is from the March 21, 2022 edition of New Idea.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 21, 2022 edition of New Idea.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Beauty and THE BASQUE
EXPLORE THE COLOURFUL SPANISH CITY OF BILBAO
HOW TO GROW strawberries
CHARLIE ALBONE SHARES HIS EXPERTISE ON GROWING THE FLAVOURSOME FRUIT
SURVIVING COELIAC
UNDERSTANDING THE TOLL OF THIS CHRONIC CONDITION
MEET THE AUSSIE pas GLADIATOR MUM!
NICOLE IS READY TO DEFEND HER TITLE AS AUSTRALIA'S STRONGEST WOMAN
ELLEN'S COMEBACK IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!
THE STAR IS OUT TO RECLAIM HER COMEDY QUEEN CROWN
LEAH PURCELL 'I'M JUST GETTING STARTED'
THERE’S NO STOPPING THE MULTIFACETED AUSSIE STAR
THE DARK SIDE OF IN CKELODEON
MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS TARNISH THE FAMED KIDS’ NETWORK
Layne & Kirk SMILING THROUGH HEARTBREAK
LIFE’S UNFAIRNESS HAS THE PAIR RIDING A WAVE OF EMOTIONS
Queen Mary's new pain 'SHE FEELS SO ALONE'
EVERYTHING IS CHANGING FOR THE DANISH ROYAL – AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY
These ladies are...FIGHTING FIT
THERE IS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE TO THIS CENTRAL DESERT FITNESS CLASS