Q: Dear Lara, I thought I’d left mean girls behind in high school, but college isn’t turning out to be any different. I was at a party this past weekend and had too much to drink. That’s on me, I know, but what can I do about the photo that’s now making its way across the internet? You don’t even want to know the caption. Even worse, one of my professors has seen it, and actually made a joke about me in class. Please help.
A: Mean girls are never left behind. That being said, I’m so sorry this is happening! But it did happen, and you need to hold your head up until this is behind you. Things on the Internet can’t be taken down, so next time be very, very careful what you do, especially while drinking.
However, there is a place called Reputation Defender. These guys will hunt down and try to remove negative information about you. It costs money– taking something down can cost between $29.95 and $200 each per hour– but depending on what it is, it may be worth it to you. Otherwise, you should go on like it’s any other day, and if anyone brings it up, just smile and say you don’t want to talk about it. (For more info, read The Truth About Mean Girls by guest author Jerri Sparks.)