Zooey Deschanel Brings Today’s Quote
March 4, 2013 in Celebrity Quotes, Zooey Deschanel by Versus
She (like every other celebrity) was bullied:
“People really teased me. It was really bad. Nothing could be as hard as middle school. There were insecurities that I think I would have worked through a lot faster if I’d had certain tools and could have connected with certain people earlier.”
… says Zooey in Cosmopolitan UK.
See the cover next!
yeah, all hollywood ladies were fat and ungly in middle school and were bullied. ALL OF THEM
You don’t have to be fat or ugly to be a victim of bullying. Everyone I know (including myself) was teased during school years -some of us more, some less.
Agree. There are a few kids that do the bullying. The rest get bullied. For no reason at all, except maybe they they aren’t being bullies themselves.
As much as I love going to America, the kids there really seem to viciously bully one another. While I yawn over these celebrity comments, I’m not at all surprised. Bullying people to the point of death sometimes…who raises these kids? Morons?
no, you don’t understand! i meant that everyone in hollywood tells the same stuff … fat, ugly, mobbing … a lot of celebrities make this things up. like j-lo. she always told she was poor as a child.
Why would anyone bully her? Give us a reason zooey.
She was overweight in middle school, that’s enough for some kids.
http://i.imgur.com/TYMkP.jpg
There was nothing ‘wrong’ with me and kids were horrible to me.
cause those people are ignorant and b.i.t.c.h.y
@Zumrut why does anyone bully anyone? Kids always find a reason. They see that you stand out in some way and pick on that flaw. Zooey wasn’t as attractive as she is now 10-15 years ago. I know many women who are attractive confident adults who were awkward chubby adolescents with acne, glasses, braces, lisps, etc. I know so many people who were bullied for the way they look, and most were not fat. I know a girl with Asperger’s who was bullied for being socially awkward. I know a boy who was bullied for being poor and bad at sports, and a girl who was bullied for being rich (she ended up mugged and assaulted). The reality is some kids are just jerks!
J.Lo WAS poor as a child…what, do people have to lie about their pasts to avoid cynicism from there general public?
You really do not have to be fat and ugly to be bullied..not at all. (though i know Zooey has said she was chuuby in middle school but whatever). In middle school I was thin, but not overly so. I at the time didn’t like how I looked but in hindsight I was a pretty and adorable little girl..though I did have to wear braces and gigantic glasses. Recently in graduate school..yes grad school I was incessently bullied by a women in her mid 30′s. (and I am not ugly or fat). I was shocked that bullying still exisited in that environment and at that age. It made it really difficult to be in that environment for a while. My point is anyone, anywhere can be builled and it hurts, it is a big problem.
I am so over these quotes! EVERYONE was teased at one time or another, get over it!
ok so lets tell the kids that are bullied that contemplate suicide, actually go through with suicide, and their families to “get over it”…..also, hardship is relative…what may seem insignificant to you may be what totally destroys another…
Ok, Captain Exaggeration, let’s reel in the hyperbole a bit. Bullying is the cool new thing and every celeb is trying to get props for admitting they were bullied. You know what? Everyone is teased at one point or another. Its just part of life. And learning to dismiss the comments of people who don’t matter and base your self esteem on what’s important is a huge part of growing up. Unfortunately, some people get bullied rather than teased. And, sadly, a very small minority are abused in a way that drives them to suicide.
But the odds that this celebrity, or any other, went through anything more than the same teasing that the majority of us went through is incredibly slim. Congratulating and lauding ‘revelations’ like this would be like praising her for being awkward during adolescents or physically changing during puberty. Those things literally go without saying.
Lol so melodramatic.
Also
In my opinion, there are bigger problems than being bullied for someone to commit suicide.
Jennifer, you have NO idea what you’re talking about. Some kids go to such extreme measures to make other kids feel like sh-t, they feel it is the only way out sometimes. I have read SO many stories about bullies, they are awful, rotten people and the things they do are even worse. My younger sister was a victim if bullying in middle school. She is 24 now and has still not gotten over the repercussions. The newest article about bullying is that two kids assaulted a boy on the playground, and that assault led to his DEATH. It IS a big deal.
I read a horrible story in the news once, about a 9 yr old boy who had muscular dystrophy and could no longer walk so he was in a wheelchair, some bullies dragged him out of the wheelchair and beat him half to death – as a result he became so anxious he left school and died 2 years later because of his disease. Obviously this extreme is not common but it’s an example of how psycho some bullies are today.
i agree, sample
Zooey did look very, very different from today. She was quite chubby, with strawberry blonde hair coupled with a pale complexion and wore glasses. She also has a quirky unusual personality that most kids don’t get. So I totally believe she was teased as a kid. She grew stronger and improved herself.
Is this the same girl who uses profanity excessively so that she sounds like “tough?”
She really lacks a way with words.
I don’t want to diminish her experience of middle school, but, “Nothing could be as hard as middle school.” Really? How about if you were abused/orphaned. AND in middle school. Or, you live in poverty. Or a war-torn country. Or you don’t get to go to middle school because you live in a country where that’s not allowed for women.
I know this was just her misspeaking, but as someone that has had a harder time than most in life, it always irks me when people say and act like their common problems, such as breakups and general teasing, are the worst thing ever (I know sometimes both of those can be really bad, but I doubt Zooey falls into the category of mercilessly teased considering she is still alive and doesn’t seem to have any serious emotional disturbances). And there are many people who have had a worse life then I have, who ALSO get teased and break up on top of everything else.
I envy her that her life is so perfect that she can use the phrase “worst thing ever” to describe an average problem so easily. I couldn’t even misspeak in such a way.
You shouldn’t take everything so literally.
I’m not taking it literally. If you read my comment, you would have seen me acknowledge that I understand what she’s really saying. But it is nevertheless annoying that such a phrase gets thrown around so casually.
I agree with you. I guess they do it to sound “relate-able”, and while we all have our own problems of one sort or the other… I’d rather just look at celebrities without hearing their opinion about anything. I rather draw inspiration from people I interact with in “real life”.
I get your point – but it’s all relative, right? I totally agree that she’s exaggerating and she does kind of annoy me – but I think it’s important to acknowledge that in her life, it may well be the worst thing she has experienced or maybe she’s more sensitive than most – we all experience things in different ways. I’m sure she knows life is a lot worse for some people – but pain is pain and she may be very lucky the worst she’s experienced is some teasing – but some have it even better than that, But it doesn’t really lessen the burden on a person to know that other people have it worse. Actually sometimes if I’m upset over something in my life and I then hear about someone suffering a lot more, it makes me feel worse – it’s horrible to think about how much pain there is in the world.
You’re really sweet Erica. You should set up a blog or advice column.
Thanks Lex – that’s very kind of you!
I have thought it about it actually – maybe I will….
I absolutely agree with you Erica. I think people DO have different tolerance levels, and different experiences can shape what one determines to be painful or uncomfortable.
But I still find it bothersome. I had to suffer more, and others around me suffered EVEN more (and some people in the world, even more than them). Maybe that annoyance comes from envy, or from frustration about the unfairness of life.
One of my close friends has been through so much, and she tries to open up to other people about how she feels only to get a response like, “Oh yeah I totally get how you feel, I (insert mundane problem here).” It was really discouraging to her, because all that response did is make her feel like people DON’T get it. Of course, those people can’t be blamed, it is not their fault if they had an easier life, or on the other end, it is not their fault if they are really sensitive.
But for those that had to learn to not be sensitive, because it was a matter of survival at that point, like my friend, I am sure they are slightly irked by her quote.
I also wanted to add, most of all, I think she is just really inarticulate. I think she means well with a lot of her quotes but she doesn’t know how to express it.
I don’t want to say she sounds immature, because that has certain connotations of it, but she sounds a lot younger than she is. A lot of the quotes coming from her sound like they are coming from a teenager. Well-meant, but a little naive and unpolished.
I understand what you’re saying Casey. It is really upsetting when you open up about something you suffer/have suffered with to someone, who has not experienced the same thing (or not to the same extent), and they just say ‘I know, awful isn’t it?’! Even with little things like: “I have a really bad headache” and someone replies “Me too!” – that feels dismissive!
When people confide in you, it’s best to just listen and offer support – starting to complain about your own problems or profess complete understanding is just dismissive, because none of us can know exactly how another feels about anything. I’ve had people tell me terrible stories that broke my heart – I can feel some of their heartache, but I can’t ever know exactly what toll it took on them and I know I am very fortunate to have lived without such tragedy so far. And saying anything is the worst without adding ‘for me’ can easily make most people sound like privileged *sses!
I agree that her wording was inarticulate and she generally comes across like that. I’m not a big fan – she seems to try hard to be seen a certain way and it doesn’t come off as entirely natural to me.
You took the words right out of my mouth, Casey. I agree completely on everything you said about her. When people misspeak like that, or take certain issues too seriously/too lightly, it can be really irritating.
Middle school was rough for me too, as I didn’t reach puberty until I was 15, and all the other girls hated me b/c I wasn’t developing hips and boobs and I didn’t have acne. I feel her. Nice skin, hair, eye color combo.
Maybe they hated you because of your sucky attitude, not because you were skinny. Actually, many girls are pretty pleased with themselves when they develop so they may not have been jealous of you.
lol, right?
She didn’t even say that they were jealous! Natalia may not the “most popular” around here, but she’s allowed to leave comments without being bashed everytime
And I know 2 girls who had been tall and thin until they were like 15 or 16 and they got bullied a lot more(especially by girls) than the overweight or curvy girls.
Actually…………this is true Ramona, I do have a right to express my opinon here without being bashed. I thought maybe I am going to at leave this site, again, b/c some my comments didn’t not go thruough, but it was only one, the rest I saw did go through, I think it’s how I word them TRICKY……but you are right, I should be able to at least casually be able to enjoy a sight and express my opinions. Thank you for this
i like her and i LOVE her show, and i feel like if every time i was asked a question and my answer was written down and published in a national magazine, no one would like what i had to say either. quotes are just words – some celebrity quotes are great and some (if not most) are just meh, average conversation.
The same !
I think people would find me boring/vanilla if I had to give interviews and everytime I would try to be funny and making jokes it would sound plain stupid.
As an European (French woman, to be precise) I have always wondered if the bullying in the USA was that predominant or if it was just like in any other countries.
It may sound very stereotypical but seen from the outside it seems to be a big issue or maybe it is just the movies/series that emphasize it ?
On the side note, I found her beautiful.
My personal experience is that it’s worse in the EU. I moved from Europe to US in elementary school, so I got to experience both.
There’s teasing that happens both, but it was worse in Europe because the schools were smarter and everyone knew each other more. Things like jealousies were more likely to develop, and the teasing is more likely to affect you because almost all of your social group is aware of it.
Then again, there are small schools in the US so maybe it’s the same and it just depends on school size. I moved to LA where the schools were big, so I didn’t see a lot of the “standard” school things like bullying, or cliques, because there were too many kids to really care.
schools were smaller** not smarter, Freudian slip
Kids in middle school are just jerks lol
I got teased too (” you’re so ugly no one wants to date you ” for example) but it did not happen a lot. I was always the shy/nice girl of the class. I did not have real enemies, few people hated me but not a lot. I never got really attacked by anyone. I consider myself lucky.
But I have always assumed it was worse in the USA.
Thanks for your answer
i’ve lived in both Canada and Europe (Portugal), and i’d have to agree to a certain extent. smaller schools = more prevalent and obvious bullying. everyone picked on the same fat girls and the same black people (myself included at times). i didn’t get it that badly because my aunt who i lived with at the time was the family doctor to a lot of those kids’ families. anyway, my point is, it’s a lot easier to fly under the radar in North American schools than it is in Europe. when you’re the different one, you really do stick out like a sore thumb.
When I moved to the US I went to a small all girls school, so the same people were picked on constantly, and people were always stealing each others boyfriends which caused problems lol. When it is only women the bullying is mostly mental vs if there are boys they might physically bully each other.
agree, casey..i’m from europe. stupid ppl do it in highschool too..what’s funny is that in many cases it’s not the standard rich+pretty+blabla versus the big nerd or something. here there are mostly overweight or tacky looking/acting b****s that are the bullies (a lot of them gypsy=worst minority ever..99% of them are uneducated, rude and arrogant…and they’re freaking everywhere, romanians shouldn’t have left them stay here. and the other bullies are mostly those that copied the others behavior and gross style+mentality.)
Lol I have always assumed it was worse in the USA too! Because of american movies (with bitchy cheerleaders etc.) I guess
BOOOO f-ing HOOOOO…god i cant stand these smug celebs who all have the same sob story about being “teased” when younger
First world problems!
Lol
haha!
boring
I’ll start by saying I think she’s very pretty and I like her style.
As for her quote, I’m sure she was bullied just like we all were at one time or another, but she also came from what appears as a good, solid family with money and opportunities, and I’m just not sure her quote is relatable to someone like me who was bullied but came from a broken family and was totally poor and wore the same clothes to school almost every day. So yes, Zooey, it could be have been worse for you!
Practically all celebs were victims in high school, of course.
I think it is very likely that a lot of celebrities got teased or even bullied in school… many of them have very, how do i put it, “special” personalities because they are talented, extroverted, maybe a little weird or artsy… even though they might not have been poor or ugly etc. it is wuite likely that they were bullied for their personality which can hurt immensely not only when you are a child. I don’t think that this kind of suffering can be compared to what other people go through but one has to realize that many stars are stars because they are different or crave attention more… i mean, many start their careers at a very young age… to be bullied because you show a lot of yourself and what you can do can scar a child.
*quite likely
I really enjoy Zooey as an entertainer and she is SO ACHINGLY BEAUTIFUL and seems quite sweet, but she consistently lets me down with her comments and comes across as rather ignorant.
People on this site saying those who are teased/bullied need to “get over it” are really pissing me off. Yes, teasing can be non-agressive or hardly something to get excited about, but bullying, regardless of how extreme it is, is a HUGE problem in our society, and yes, many people deal with bullying and some handle it better than others, but the “get over it” mentality is EXACTLY the thing that can bring some people to suicide. And no, maybe bullying isn’t the number one reason people commit suicide, but it’s ALWAYS a factor.
Celebrities coming out and saying that they have been bullied isn’t a trend; them speaking out is letting people who are currently being bullied know that they aren’t the alone and that their life can continue and get better.
THANK YOU. I’m really unpleasantly surprised by all these comments.
love her!
I want a celebrity to come out as a bully. Victims are so boring.
i guess you’re a bully.
Yeah right. All these celebs claim they were bullied. i guess it’s the “in” thing nowadays.
Just read a comment from another Soph. Changed my name on here, it was the same.