A Teenager Who Was Initially Voted Onto The Homecoming Court As A Prank Later Turned The Tables On Her Bullies, Teaching Them A Valuable Lesson In Kindness And Resilience
Whitney Kropp’s dream came true when her classmates chose her, out of all the girls, to run for Homecoming Queen. She walked onto the Homecoming Court ready to compete for votes, only to discover that the mean girls had nominated her as a cruel joke to humiliate her.
Standing there, embarrassed and ridiculed by her peers, Whitney felt a wave of hatred. She despised her classmates and her school, but most of all, she hated herself. Why was she different? Why couldn’t people accept her like they did others? She couldn’t understand what made her repellent to others.
But there was nothing wrong with Whitney Kropp. She was a beautiful person targeted arbitrarily by the mean girls who tormented her relentlessly, culminating in their cruel prank for Homecoming Queen.
“I was bullied as a kid for being tall, but then I wasn’t picked on until high school,” she said.
When she was elected Homecoming Queen, it was only because the mean girls thought it would be funny if an unpopular person won the popularity contest, as she later told The Detroit News.
The night after the dance, filled with self-loathing, Whitney considered taking her own life.
“I’m like, ‘Wow. I feel like trash.’ I feel like I’m a little thing that no one really cares about.”
Fortunately, Whitney’s sister Alivia noticed her distress.
“It’s very hard to see someone hurt and upset,” Alivia said. “You want to do everything in your power to make sure they’re not that way.”
Alivia came up with a plan to uplift her sister. She encouraged Whitney to attend the Homecoming dance despite the prank. Bullies, Alivia reasoned, back down when confronted because they are cowards at heart.
“I told her, ‘You’ve got the courage. You’ve got the strength to go do it. So go do it and have fun!’”
This was the encouragement Whitney needed. She wasn’t a victim; she was a hero. Alivia started a Facebook group called Support Whitney Kropp, which quickly gained 96k supporters who wanted to see Whitney shine at her Homecoming.
Soon, people came forward to help Whitney. Shannon Champagne offered her a free makeover.
“Every girl looks forward to being on that homecoming court and for her name to be called,” Champagne said.
In the end, Whitney showed that she was not a victim, but a resilient young woman who stood up to her bullies.