School bullies (18F) ruined my graduation photo/yearbook... I still can't get over it (Me, also 18F)

As a freshman, I was just an average student but after a falling out with one of my friends, I was basically blacklisted from my group and they also began bullying me, making fun of me, cyberbullying me, making me feel stupid and ugly if I ever spoke up, calling me names, sometimes tripping me or throwing things at me. This lasted for 3 years, and I honestly hated my high school experience. I had a few friends that I talked to in school, but rarely outside of school... I was a total loser. I just wanted to hurry up and get out.

I did all the things I needed to do to graduate, including taking senior cap photos. They had a photographer at school which you could go to and they would let you take 6-8 shots. After you got the shots back, you had to fill out a form at school indicating what picture you wanted to use for the yearbook. Out of my 8 shots, I HATED 6, and 2 were just okay... I picked the one that I looked least worst in. One of them was really, really bad though - one of those pictures where I was obviously not ready, maybe about to fix my hair or something, just one eye half closed, nose flared, one tooth lifted over my lips because of my braces, and a double chin. I hate to even describe it. I don't know what the hell I was doing.

We got our yearbooks back in May and lo and behold, in the senior section, my photo was that ugly ugly worst photo of my 8 shots. I was absolutely mortified. And it wasn't just me, even my parents were like, what the fuck? Immediately, I knew what happened. The yearbook committee had some of my bullies in it and they were in charge of making sure the photos were placed correctly, but they also were in control of ALL the extra shots. They saw my horrible picture and intentionally pulled that one.

There was a huge ordeal with my mom calling the school to complain and the staff and yearbook committee apologizing - but it doesn't change anything. My picture has been printed and posted, and nothing can be done.

I cried so much and got so angry and upset. I thought that at least with graduation I was free from their torture, but they got me even at the end. Of course they all had the most perfect pretty pictures, were featured in all the group photos, all the superlatives... it just made me sick. And I felt so so ugly. Guys, if you can imagine just the worst photo of yourself in your life, that's in the yearbook.. it's just awful. Even thinking about it makes me want to cry. It seems like vain and petty but it represents so much more to me than just the ugliness.

Obviously that was back in May and it's August now. I'm preparing to move into my dorm for college but I still can't get over it... I know it's a "me" problem, but is there anyway I can move on from this better?

TLDR: Bullies intentionally used a really bad photo of me for my senior yearbook picture and this has affected me a lot. I try to get over it but I am still so upset about it and can't even look at my yearbook. It's an unbelievable ugly picture that even my family was like what the fuck. What can I do to get over this humiliation?

Submitted August 07, 2022 at 06:13PM by yorubayayo https://ift.tt/9DFTkUl