Teenagers are notorious for being involved in bullying. They are more likely to bully other teenagers of their same age or younger. But with the rise of social media and technology, the power balance between lovers has blurred.
The word “bullying” conjures up an image of a much younger person – someone who is being picked on in school, but there are also instances of bullying among adults. This can also happen between partners and the effects can be devastating. It can lead to depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and even worse.
Bullying between partners is common and very possible. In fact, it is more complicated than bullying among children. Most of the time the victims are not aware of what’s happening because they are either in denial or trying to make sense of it, which only gives a green pass to the abuser.
Bullying between partners can take many forms, and it can be hard to distinguish between what is meant to be a playful game and what might actually be mistreatment.
Body-shaming between partners:
Research shows that the most common form of bullying is weight-related. Women who are at a higher weight and men who are at a lower weight tend to be bullied by their partners. This type of bullying can affect anyone in the world and it is not only limited to same-sex relationships.
Weight-shaming happens when someone makes a judgment about your weight without caring to know what you think or feel. And, body-shaming is when someone implies or outright says that you’re not good enough because of your size or shape.
Weight-related bullying can create a lot of psychological harm, as well as physical harm. It can result in eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal among other things.
4 steps to stop a bullying partner:
Bullying is a type of abuse that involves one person in an inappropriate, intentional way trying to control or have power over another. It includes verbal abuse, physical abuse, and emotional or psychological abuse.
There are many reasons why bullying can happen in a romantic relationship. These can be emotional, financial, or even physical. It is not always easy to stop bullying in a relationship but there are some things you can do to make sure that your partner changes.
First step:
The first step to stopping the situation is to acknowledge how you feel when you’re being bullied or shamed by your partner. It is important to understand that they’re bullying you and that it’s not funny or okay for you to feel bad or oppressed.
Second step:
The second step is learning how to communicate with your partner in a way that they can’t bully or shame you anymore. In order for this to happen, we have to educate them about what it means for them to cause harm and give them alternatives for conveying their messages more respectfully.
It’s not easy to tell your partner that they are being out of line. But sometimes, they have to be told and the only way to stop a bully is by stopping them straight away and defending yourself aggressively.
Third step:
The third step is to clearly specify and promise that you will have to break up with them or do something drastic that they’ll hate if they act that way again. You have to make them believe you and understand that you’re very capable of doing it.
You need to address the issue head-on by telling them clearly that you’re uncomfortable and that you will have to react in a bad way to get away from such toxicity. Tell them clearly how you feel and that you will do whatever it will take for them to change or to stop them.
This is one of the most important steps as it will show that you’ll stand up for yourself and that you’re brave enough to act on your words.
Fourth step:
The fourth step is to act on your promises if the abuse or bullying takes place again. In fact, one of the most common ways to stop a bullying partner is to break up with them.
People might say that this is too harsh of an approach but it’s well-deserved considering that it is not fair for the person being bullied to stay in a similar relationship. It is a known fact that “Love should not hurt.”
Bottom line:
Many people believe that you should just leave the relationship when faced with the weight of a problem like getting bullied by your partner because it can be horrible. And the truth is that staying in a relationship like this can sometimes make things worse for you and others around you.
It’s important to understand what your partner’s motive is behind their actions so that you can decide; if it’s worth staying in the relationship and if they’re worth the time and effort needed to fix it. Whatever you do remember that a partner’s main role is to support, cheer you up and help you with whatever issues or insecurities you may have and not the opposite!