
By Jennifer McShane
13th Feb 2016
13th Feb 2016
If you see some of your favourite Instagrammers post selfies with lipstick stains on their hands, it isn’t due to Valentine’s weekend, but for a cause of a very serious nature. They are coming together to highlight cyberbullying, after alarming new statistics revealed that over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year, according to DoSomething.org and that a massive 88% of teens witness this form of bullying on a daily basis. Though these stats form the basis of a US study, the figures will hit home on our shores too, with reports (and too often tragic stories) that affirm cyberbullying is very much prevalent here in Ireland. This form of bullying is horrific and can destroy lives, so we’re all about highlighting and supporting campaigns that also want to see it banished forevermore.
These shocking stats are exactly why Tarte Cosmetics and ByStanderRevolution (a US organisation committed to taking the power out of bullying) teamed up to help create awareness about cyberbullying through their #KissAndMakeUp campaign, which has since gone viral. The organisers are hoping to make Instagram – and other popular social platforms – safer and friendlier places to be, by encouraging users around the globe to come together and spread their #AntiCyberBullying message.
To participate, just?tag a person you’d like to share a positive message with, write out your kind caption to them, and then post your picture with a kiss stain on the back of your hand using the #KissAndMakeUp hashtag. You can also tag?@tartecosmetics and @bystanderrevolution?to help get your words out.
So, put your favourite lipstick to extra use this weekend and snap a selfie for a good cause. See below for a small sample of some of the posts so far:
A photo posted by Nikki French NY (@nikkifrenchmakeup) on
A photo posted by STEPHANIE LEDDA (@smlx0) on