My Journey To Success.

2

⚜ It's a short story to motivate people. Hurting anyone is not my motive. Thank you.

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Veera.  ( A fight against Body-shamers)

"Look at her, she looks like a hippo!"

I looked down in shame and tried to hide in the corner. Every day they taunt me like that. I don't say anything to them then why did they always do that?  

Yes, they have a slim body and perfect looks and unlike them I am overweight. I feel ashamed of my body and my looks. 

"Hey, Tina, let's go shopping after class.  There is an amazing collection of dresses in the showroom. 

I stood up and tried to leave because I knew what was coming. " Do you think they have clothes for this Hippo's size too?" She said in an overly sweet voice. Everyone started laughing around me. 

Tears pooled in my eyes, I looked down to not let them see my tears or they would make even more fun of me. I pushed Tina's hand a little and ran from there. 

I went to my scooter and for the first time in my life, I skipped classes and went straight home. 

My mom frowned at me. "Veera? What are you doing here at this time, child?" 

She asked and I dropped my bag on the floor and hugged her tightly. 

"Veera?" She whispered, caressing my hair. 

"I hate myself, Mumma. I hate my body. They all made fun of me. I hate myself," I sobbed in her arms. 

"Veera, tell me what happened, baby?"

"I don't want this fat body, I don't want this body, Mumma.

" Look at me," Mumma said. I untangled myself from her. "Veera, come with me."

Mumma took me to my room and made me stand in front of the mirror."Look at yourself, what do you see in this mirror?" 

I sobbed. "A fat disgusting body."

Mumma shook her head. "And you know what I see? I see my beautiful daughter. I see the girl for whom I suffered twenty hours of labour pain but when I held her in my arms. I forget everything, even the pain felt worthy to hold the miracle in my hands."

Tears rolled down my cheeks. "Mumma…"

She smiled. "Baby, if someone accused you of something you didn't do well you feel guilty?" She asked me.

"No."

"See, then why are you crying, why are you getting affected by some rude words of some brats. This shows how low their thinking is. Feel proud of yourself, feel proud of your body. Don't ever say, you hate yourself. No, you should always be proud of yourself. It doesn't matter how you look, what clothes you wear or how rich you are. Nothing, what matters is how confident you are. That's the only thing you need."

Then she held my face. "Don't let anyone affect you. If they harass you, stand up to them. Go and complain about them. Don't give anyone the power to start playing with your mind. That girl is a bully and the more you get affected by her taunts the more she will harass you. Don't get affected by her, stop giving her the reaction she wanted and you will win."

"But mom, I am fat! And I don't want to be."

Mumma smiled. "If you want to change yourself then do it because you want to be healthy. Do it because you want to do it for yourself not because someone else is taunting you. You need to prove it to yourself, you are doing it for yourself, not because of someone else, who is a nobody in your life."

"She is a nobody, Veera. She doesn't have any power over you," Mumma kissed my head and walked out of the room.

And I looked at myself in the mirror again. She was right, who was Tina or anyone else to taunt me. I gave her the power to by getting affected by her words. She is a nobody in my life.

The next day when I went to college I was eating my favourite noodles and once again she came there. But today I was ready to fight. 

"Hey hippo, don't eat too much or you will burst open," She laughed and with her everyone around her started laughing.

But unlike yesterday, I smiled at her. "Is that your problem?" I asked her to calmly and scooped  noodles from the bowl. 

She raised her brows, arrogantly showing her Superiority over me.

"Tell me, Tina, is that your problem? I am eating because I love eating and unlike you, I don't stay hungry to remain thin so that I can show people. My life is my own and you are no one to tell me how I look and what I should eat. Go get a life because as far as I can see you have none."

"Shut up you hippo!"

" My name is Veera and I promise if you call me that one more time I will complain about you to the principal. So stay away from me."

She didn't say anything after that and neither did anyone else. The atmosphere changed after my burst. Mom was right, it's me who gave her power to mock and now I won't let anyone do that to me. 

This is my life, I love myself and my body and no one has any right to mock me. I promise I won't let anyone demoralise me anymore.