This is a shop on Queen Street here in Auckland. As you can guess from the name, it’s a clothes shop, because many clothes are made from cotton. “Cotton on” has a special meaning in English. It means to finally understand something. But today I want to talk about the clothes that are inside the windows.
They’re pink T-shirts because today is Pink Shirt Day. This day happens once a year, and the message is anti-bullying. In the changing room at the swimming pool this morning, I saw this message about it.
Bullying can be a big problem, not only for school kids, but also for adults in the workplace. A school bully is usually bigger, older and stronger than the person they bully. They steal things from a weaker person, call them names, and generally make life hell for the bullied person. And at work, bosses can also sometimes be bullies.
Pink Shirt Day is a way of telling the victims of bullying that they’re not alone. When bullying victims see lots of people wearing pink or wearing these T-shirts, that gives the same message.
And the message is to open your mouth and tell someone. Don’t keep quiet. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
I bought this T-shirt today and also a tote bag to show support in my small way for the little guy.
And Cotton: On is also giving all of the profits from the sale of these items to fight bullying.
When I was at school, I was small and skinny, but luckily, nobody ever bullied me. When I hear stories today about bullying, though, it makes me very angry. Recently, I watched a Korean show on Netflix about bullying. There are two seasons, and it’s called Weak Hero. It has subtitles. You should watch it.
Now Hear this. 