Actress Denise Laurel took to Instagram to share a story of how she was bullied and made fun of as a kid because of her looks.
Sharing a photo taken during her first communion, Denise recalled how someone from the photography team had complimented her lips — which was ironically something her classmates always laughed at her for.
View this post on Instagram
“Some kids started making fun of me calling me duckie, mojacko, arrow-lips … petrie (from the movie “Land Before Time”) … [and] I remember trying not to cry before this picture and wiping the lipstick off,” she said.
And while the comments hurt her, she eventually taught herself how to shrug them off and accept the way she looked.
“Kids can be mean but we can teach them better … for a while there I had to learn how to talk and smile while folding my lips in [until] by Gods grace I embraced myself and stopped caring!”
She then revealed how she had a difficult time getting cast in roles because of her lips, which people had called “distracting” or “fake.” As she reminisced these experiences, she advised her followers to never feel discouraged by beauty standards and to love the skin they’re in.
“I see when u guys comment about being bullied about many things,” she wrote. “There’s no such thing as normal.. the fake standard of beauty changes every couple of years, fashion can be fickle or repetitive but their standard has nothing to do with [you]! [You] are perfectly imperfect just as [you] are and made with so much thought and love!”
“There’s only one [you]! What’s different about [you] is what makes [you] unique! Embrace it! When [you] do no one can do anything about it and we teach them to embrace themselves and be kinder to themselves as well,” she added. “Let’s create a cycle of compassion for self and others!”
View this post on Instagram
“It’s [your] one life! Their opinion can’t live [your] life for [you]! I love seeing people unapologetically themselves!
Go!” she ended her post.
(ALSO READ: Bianca Gonzalez Has This to Say to People Making Fun of Morena Skin)
Do you have similar experiences growing up? Share them with us in the comments!
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad! Get the latest news about the Philippine Entertainment industry and join the WIM Showbiz Facebook group! We also share our stories on Viber, join us!
