Wake County Schools

Mirror, mirror: Girls post positive messages in school bathroom

Two Raleigh high school students are posting messages that are getting a lot of attention - not on social media but in the girl's bathroom.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Two Raleigh high school students are posting messages that are getting a lot of attention – not on social media but in the girl's bathroom.

Junior Emily Williams and senior Kimmy Gebbia wanted to do something for Make a Difference Day, so they came to school early and posted 10 sticky notes on a bathroom mirror at Athens Drive High School. Each one had a positive message for other girls.

"I really like this one. It says, 'You are what someone looks forward to,'" Gebbia said.

"One that I like is this one, it says, 'Fat, skinny, tall or short, we're all beautiful," Williams said.

The girls said they wanted to combat all of the negative images and messages teen girls have to face each day.

"You see a lot of pictures of, like, these models who have super-Photoshopped bodies," Williams said. "A lot of girls compare themselves to their idols, like the Kardashians or whatever."

The girls left a stack of sticky notes and pens behind, and the messages inspired others.

"Throughout the day, I would go to the bathroom during class, and I would be like, 'Oh my gosh, Kimmy, there's five more,'" Williams said. "By the end of the day, I think there was like 40 or 50 of them."

"Kindness is contagious, and once they see it, they pass it on," Gebbia said.

The idea also has inspired adults.

"To be able to get bombarded with positive messages instead of negative messaging you often get on social media, it's strongly needed," Athens Drive High Principal Stephen Mares said.

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