Caillou Pettis (worldoftayswift.tumblr.com) is a 20-year-old Canadian journalist. In January 2015, Caillou Pettis wrote this letter to Taylor Swift on Tumblr:
- "taylorswift is so amazing. I love everything she does, so much, and I am so glad that she cares about the fans. Fans are everything to Taylor. She cares about them. I’ve been a fan for as long as I can remember. My name is Caillou Pettis, and I love you, your fans, etc. Your songs are so sweet, and they’ve got so much meaning in every lyric, and it really makes me smile to know that a celebrity with tens of millions of fans replies to fans. It’s incredible. I get bullied everyday, and I try to #ShakeItOff. One of the biggest reasons why I get bullied is my name. I couldn’t even tell you the amount of times I’ve been bullied because of it. I’ve been punched for it, etc. I also get bullied because I’m really skinny, but I’m proud of being skinny. I like my appearance. If people don’t like the way I look, they shouldn’t bully me."
- Love, A Swiftie
- Caillou Pettis
On January 26, 2015, Taylor Swift wrote Pettis a letter back on Tumblr and it read this:
- "Caillou-
- Hi pal.
- I was really shocked to hear you say that you'd been bullied because of your name because the first thing I thought when I saw it was 'woah, Caillou is such a cool name'. Honestly. I thought it was so cool because it's different, and herein lies our issue: you will always be criticized and teased and bullied for things that make you different, but usually those things will be what set you apart. The things that set you apart from the pack, the things that you once thought were your weaknesses will someday become your strengths. So if they say you're weird or annoying or strange or too this or not enough that, maybe it's because you threaten them. Maybe you threaten them because you're not the norm. And if you're not the norm, give yourself a standing ovation.
- Now I want to tell you that I think you look great the way you are. No one has the right to criticize you for how your body looks, but they will. One thing I've learned from experiencing this exact kind of criticism is that no one else can label your body except for you. No one gets to have a place in your mind if they weren't invited there by you. So please do me this one favor: Don't let their ugly words into your beautiful mind.
- And if someone punches you again, call the police and report them because that is assault. I'm serious. There's no direct penalty for bullying with words (except karma) but no one is allowed to hit you. Ever.
- Thanks for telling me your story and for being so strong.
- Proud of you, Caillou Pettis."
- Hashtag? #ShakeItOffIndeed