Body Shaming
When I was younger, I always heard from my playmates the word “piglet.” I was fooled when I thought the word “Bob” was meant for the cartoon character named “Bob the builder,” but I was wrong. It was “Bab” short for “Baboy.” All my life, I was bullied for being fat and overweight. There was a time when I made a shot in a basketball league here in our barangay, and instead of calling me by my surname, the commentator yelled, “extra rice!” I know it is just a joke, but sometimes it is really offensive. I was not thinking about it too much, but to be honest, I cried because it felt like my worth was being invalidated by other people. They made statements and phrases as if being fat is an act of the devil. They did not know the starvation I was going through to make my diet work. I became so tired of everybody, and that is also when I reflected and realized that I could not please everybody, but I could please myself. I started doing workouts and performed calorie-deficit alongside intermittent fasting. After 2 years, I am proud to say that I lost 25kg. I know it is still a long way, but slow progress is still progress, right? This journey of mine influenced me to motivate other people. I lent other people my workout routines and gave them tips to overcome this challenge. Body shaming is still ubiquitous nowadays, and this issue must be eradicated. I say no to body shaming. People of all sizes should be treated with love and respect.