Boy watched his classmate get bullied for his shoes and turned up the next day with a pair of Jordans

A heartwarming video has resurfaced on Reddit showing a young boy asking his mom to buy Jordans for a classmate who was being bullied for his shoes. Although the original clip has been deleted, when u/Lotus_G6 reposted it, it went viral again, racking up more than 57,000 upvotes. According to the post, the boy told his mom he wanted a pair of Jordans for another kid at school who was being teased. He wanted the bullying to stop and thought a fresh pair of Jordans might help. His mom agreed, and when the shoes were finally handed over, the boy’s reaction said it all.

He held the box close, looked down in disbelief, and then lit up with the kind of smile that shows just how much it meant. What makes this story resonate even more is how unbelievably common clothing and appearance-based bullying actually is. A 2017 study titled "Class Warfare in the Classroom: A Qualitative Study of Clothing and Bullying" surveyed about 300 college students and conducted 41 in-depth interviews about their K–12 experiences.

More than half said clothing was a reason they or others were bullied. Shoes came up repeatedly, with students recalling being mocked, excluded, or embarrassed because of the pairs they wore. The study also noted how brand names and labels could completely shift how peers treated someone, either by lifting them up socially or making them a target if they didn’t measure up.

The gesture struck a chord with viewers who saw how much it meant to him to stand up for someone else, with some sharing stories about the bigger issue of bullying. u/nowhereman136 commented, "I had a friend who argued in favor of school uniforms because they prevent kids from bullying other kids for what they wear. So I asked if she had never been bullied. She said she was bullied all the time, for being a girl, for her hair, and for being Asian. She was even bullied by other Asian kids for being Vietnamese. But at least she wasn’t bullied for what she wore, she happily said. Kids are a**holes and will always find a reason to bully other kids. It doesn’t matter what they wear."

u/jeonkittea wrote, "Awwe, sweetness! But I just wanna know why he’s being bullied for his shoes? I see nothing wrong with them!" u/Jessirose32 added, "That’s cute. I wish the video was longer! I want to see him put those shoes on! Love the joy in his face, nicely done to the kid gifting them." u/Sergio_Bottas shared, "30 years ago, I got made fun of for my shoes in front of my whole class. Still think about it all the time. Kids can be so mean, or they can be heroes like this one." u/WideHour said, "This video really captures the essence of kindness in action. Seeing that young boy advocate for his friend who's being bullied over something as trivial as shoes restores my faith in the next generation. It's a reminder that empathy can start small but make a huge impact."

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