Denise Laurel took to social media to empower women to embrace themselves.
In her lengthy Instagram post, the actress recounted the moment from her first communion when her peers started to mock her for her full lips.
“I still remember a lady from the photographers team kindly putting lipstick on me cause she said she liked my lips. Then some kids started making fun of me calling me duckie, mojacko, arrow-lips,” she said.
The photo showed a young Denise during her first communion. She shared that just before her photo was taken, she was holding back her tears and wiping her lipstick off.
“For a while there, I had to learn how to talk and smile while folding my lips in ’til by God’s grace I embraced myself and stopped caring,” she wrote.
Even when she got older, she revealed that she couldn’t land some roles because of her “distracting” features.
“Sharing this to encourage you! 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,” she said.
Denise then advised her followers who are going through the same struggle she had years ago to embrace their features and be kinder to themselves.
“Enjoy them lips! Or your height, shape! Ilantad nyo na! It’s your one life! Their opinion can’t live your life for you! I love seeing people unapologetically themselves! Go,” she ended.
