Pop stars take a stand against bullying

Jamey Rodemeyer

 In the last year, a national spotlight has been placed on the sensitive issue of bullying, so it's no wonder pop stars need to remind us we were born this way, that we're a firework, and who says we're not perfect? Over the past few weeks, dozens of artists - including Katy Perry, Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake, Pink, Ke$ha and Jasmine V - have taken a stand against bullying by retweeting the same message: "13 million kids get bullied every year. Today take a stand with me," following their plea with a link to the official site of the new documentary Bully. The documentary, released by The Weinstein Company, sheds light into the pained and endangered lives of bullied kids, and the effect it has on them and their families.
 The film was originally given an R-rating by the MPAA, meaning that no one under the age of 17 could see the film unless they were accompanied by a parent or guardian. This would greatly prohibit teens and pre-teens - the people who deal with bullying on a daily basis - from seeing the film. However, following an online campaign, the Weinstein Company managed to convince the MPAA to lower the rating to the less restrictive PG-13 rating after taking out a few utterances of the F-word. The film was released in select markets on March 30, but will be in theaters everywhere April 13.
(Idolator)