This 13-year-old just did the bravest thing ever. Or shall I say, two of the bravest things… Paris Harvey not only hit back at her bullies but did so by facing her biggest fear – stripping down to her bathing suit in public.
Paris, a teenager from Kent, has a metabolic condition that causes her to gain weight quickly and makes it hard to lose it.
She was also born with hip dysplasia, so her left leg is 1.5 cm shorter than her right, and she has pins in her joint that cause her to limp.
Because of these conditions, people often call her fat and mock her for ‘walking like a penguin.’
“I got bullied in the past and after a while, you start to believe what people say. I became really insecure about how I looked,” said Paris.
“I can be eating the same food as the next person but I gain weight. It’s not like I’m sitting at home all day eating crisps. But I felt like I shouldn’t have to explain myself.”
So, over the Bank Holiday weekend, Paris decided to finally face her biggest fear – stripping down to her bathing suit at the beach.
And guess what? She not only faced her fear but embraced it by taking pictures and posting them on Twitter!
The pics went viral with over 337k likes on Twitter.
While some people were inspired:
Others were negative:
Some supporters even began arguing with the negative commenters:
Luckily, in the end, Paris decided to “focus on the support because hate is nothing compared to love.”
