Hello Katie,

First, just breathe. This will be okay.

Second, your entire post centers around “smelling bad,” but that is not the issue.  The issue is that you are giving these girls – every one of them – too much power over you.

Here’s what I think happened.  Mean Girl (the one who made the comment, “something smells bad”) might have been doing some psychological bullying.  Maybe she was doing this or maybe she wasn’t.  But your response to those three words – “something smells bad” – whoa. You smell fine, and you documented that clearly in your post.

Here’s how you take your power back.  You decide who you want to hang out with, and if you want to get to know any or all of those girls.  Then…be pleasant, nice, friendly and funny.  You ask them “Hey do you want to [fill in the blank].”  They do or they don’t.  If they do, you spend time with them and decide if these are people who will add to your life or take away from it.  (Here’s a hint…if being with them results in your losing sleep, obsessing over everything you say…they are not people who add to your life.)  You can also be the example to Mean Girl of how to treat people.  If she’s pulling her crap line of “something smells bad”…counterpoint it with “Well, it must be YOU, because I don’t smell anything bad!”

Go forth with confidence, and annihilate this bully!

Airene

Hi Katie –

Thank you for your response.  I’m glad you made peace with the issue surrounding this group of girls.  It sounds like this girl might have her own struggles….for some people, their anxiety manifests in being mean to other people.  She may be more like you than you think.

How was your year at college?

Airene