"Sticks + Stones" is a song by British singer Nicola Roberts. The track was released on 23 September 2011 as part of her debut album Cinderella's Eyes. It was written by Roberts, Dimitri Tikovoi and Maya von Doll with inspiration deriving from her negative experiences as one-fifth of the girl band Girls Aloud, which saw internet sites, the media and celebrities such as Lily Allen and Chris Moyles label her "the ugly one". The "faceless" bullying inspired the track, and years later she found a way to cope with the negative remarks after developing her debut album and finding confidence with fashion.

Lyrically the track details these personal troubles, including that of her underage alcohol consumption and musically it is a pop-ballad track. Critically the song garnered positive reviews with most complementing the honesty of the lyrics and also found success with anti-bullying organizations which applauded its message. A lyrical video was posted on Roberts' official Twitter account. She performed an acoustic version of the track which was then uploaded to her official YouTube channel. Roberts appeared on British morning show BBC Breakfast to discuss her activism and the lyricism of the track which led her to do the same on BBC News and discuss the same issues with Rolling Stone. Continuing her activism she talked to the education secretary Michael Gove to help eradicate bullying.

After winning the reality television series Popstars: The Rivals to become one fifth of the girlband Girls Aloud, Roberts found herself subject to bullying. She endured years of taunting and being branded "the ugly one" of the group and she would often "cry herself to sleep" finding herself to be a victim of "faceless" bullying advocated by celebrities such as Chris Moyles and Lily Allen. The abuse soon began to have an effect on Roberts mental stability, suffering from an "identity crisis" the taunts brought her close to a breakdown with Roberts stating she was "miserable and confused" and soon after she found comfort in drinking alcohol. Originally her red hair was something she "absolutely loved" as it was "just [her] thing" but after joining the band her appearance became an issue and Roberts recalled feeling "the general perception of me is really not great at all." "People feel they can say nasty things and have anonymity behind the net – as they did with all the nasty comments about me – without fear of recrimination", Roberts said, and five years after the bullying she found herself in a "better place", with critics complementing her image such as Clemmie Moodie from the Daily Mirror who said "the 25-year-old radiates confidence and, with a string of fashion successes has blossomed." "Sticks + Stones" was then written in response to these negative feelings and Roberts found throughout the writing process she was cautioned by the serious subject matter wishing to create a track featuring a "universal chorus" and to avoid self-indulgence.

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