SB19’s lead dancer and rapper, Josh (real name Josh Cullen Santos), couldn’t resist voicing out his frustration against people who continue to joke about his being short.
On Twitter, Josh went on a lengthy rant about the harms of height shaming in his effort to educate fans about where to draw the line.
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“Ngayon lang ako magsasalita about dito. Siguro mas ok kung ilalabas ko ito in a way para ma educate yung mga tao na hindi nakakaramdam. Pero hindi niyo kina-cool ang pang pang hheight shaming. Hindi ako katangkaran katulad Justin at hindi rin ako pandak katulad ng inaakala niyo,” he began in his Twitter thread.
“Everytime na may masasabi na maliit, irerelate niyo agad sakin at sasabihin niyo kaagad na maliit ako. Hindi niyo kina angat yun. Yung totoo, wala na ba tayong maisip na ibang joke na masarap naman pakinggan?”
[Translation: “This is the first time I will open up about this. Perhaps it’s much better if I say it in a way that will educate people who still don’t get it. It doesn’t make you cool to height shame. I may not be as tall as Justin but I am also not as short as you think.
“Every time someone points out something that’s small, you all instantly relate it to me and outright call me short. That doesn’t make you any better. Honestly, are we not able to think of other jokes that are nicer to hear?”]
He opened up about how he isn’t conventionally short in real life, standing at 5’6″, and that he’s been working hard to beef up his body to achieve the “ideal features.” And though he clarified that he isn’t usually sensitive about these things, he asked fans to “be mindful” about frequently making jokes regarding his physical body especially since he also had to open up this conversation with his bandmates as well.
“Kahit mga kagrupo ko kinailangan ko pa kausapin about sa matter na ‘to. Madalas ako makipag biruan sa lahat, pero siguro may limitations din. Minsan nakakarindi rin. Hindi man ako ang pinaka matangkad, nakakapag produce naman ako ng malalaking bagay,” he said. “Minsan yung mindset/paniniwala niyo na yung lumoloko sa inyo na pag nakita niyo ko in person mapapasigaw na ‘ang tangkad mo pala sa personal.’ [Stop] it.”
[Translation: “I even had to talk to the other members about this matter. I often joke around with them but I also have my limitations. It gets irritating sometimes. I may not be the tallest member, but I am able to produce big things. Sometimes, it’s the mindset or belief you have that tricks you into thinking there’s nothing wrong with yelling ‘Wow, you’re actually tall in person’ when you see me. Stop it.”]
A lot of SB19 fans and followers jumped into the replies to agree with Josh’s sentiments and to empathize with his frustrations. The original tweet, which was posted last Wednesday, June 23, now has 8K retweets, 2K quote retweets, and 26K likes as of writing.
Ngayon lang ako magsasalita about dito. Siguro mas ok kung ilalabas ko ito in a way para ma educate yung mga tao na hindi nakakaramdam. Pero hindi niyo kina-cool ang pang pang hheight shaming. Hindi ako katangkaran katulad Justin at hindi rin ako pandak katulad ng inaakala niyo.
— Josh Cullen Santos (@JoshCullen_s) June 23, 2021
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