My friend and I were having an extremely simple conversation when the topic of bullying and weight came up. While talking, she spilled some beans.

She said some things (coming from the bottom of her heart, I believe) that forced me to write this narrative from her perspective. I will be paying special attention to not reveal her name. Nevertheless, you can read along and find out what “Priya” thinks actual bullying is.

Here goes..

What is bullying, friends?

This is a crucial question. Because the position I am in, I tend to get bullied. And not that shoved-in-the-bathroom-corner bullying, a different kind.

My name is Priya and I weigh more than you.

Translation: I am fat and I am not embarrassed.

Now, for the question I asked…

Look in a dictionary for all I care. But for me, bullying is more than being mean and feeling overwhelmingly superior to someone. Because I feel bullied when people say nice things to me.

Strange? Yes. Am I insane? Yes, a tad bit but that’s not the point. You’ll understand what I am trying to say.

You see, I am fat. Like very fat. I am not proud of that but I am not depressed about it either. I enjoy life to the fullest. I relish time with friends and family and before you ask, I don’t feel self conscious when I enter a room. I am confident. It may be mild but I am.

However, all this confidence goes down the drain when people tell me that underneath all that fat, beauty lies. If beauty lies there, why can’t I see it? People tell me that I am very beautiful. But I don’t see the beauty. I only see the acne.

I feel bullied when people lie and try to show pity towards me. Hey! I am just fat. There is nothing wrong with that, and after all, I am trying my best to shed the fat off.

Don’t treat me like a charity case and don’t shower faux compliments because that hurts my ego irrevocably. Yes, to me, that is bullying.

My day is being well spent and someone drops in a comment saying how pretty I look and the fact that I don’t believe one word they say hurts more.

My Mother, my counsellor is an exception. She compliments me for real things. She is real with me, no superficiality. Just yesterday, she complimented my ability to make new friends easily and that made me genuinely happy. Because she wasn’t saying it because she had to, she WANTED to.

Yes, this is my definition of bullying. Complement me for what I am because if I am not fussing over my weight then even you shouldn’t.

For more stories about teenagers written by Avantika Singhal, check out the campaign Teeny Tiny.