Miel Pangilinan opens up about eating disorder after 'stop eating rice' comment: 'You don't get to make this kind of message'
Warning: This article contains mentions of an eating disorder.
Miel Pangilinan opened up about dealing with an eating disorder as she replied to a social media user's comment that seemed to take a swipe at her weight.
On her TikTok account, Sharon Cuneta and Kiko Pangilinan's second daughter took the time to address a TikTok user's remark that read: "You're so beautiful, Miel. But stop eating rice, please."
Miel said she found the comment "very unnecessary, unwarranted, and pretty offensive." She added, "I don't know you and you don't know me, and no matter how much of my content you consume, it does not give you the right or the knowledge of what's actually going on with my life for you to make this kind of comment."
"Unless you were my parent, my sibling, or, you know, any kind of close friend, you do not get to make this kind of message for somebody on the internet," she stressed.
Miel shared that such messages about her weight are nothing new to her, but she still finds them "condescending" and she's "very, very tired" of them.
"The thing is, I don't need this kind of concern from you because I have my own parents, my own siblings, and my own nutritionist properly looking out for me and my health. This is just not something that needs to be given public input," she said.
@ponyofilm Replying to @Elle ♬ original sound - miel pangilinan
Advising her followers not to overstep their boundaries, the content creator opened up about recovering from an eating disorder and other body weight issues for the past two years.
"One of the things I have been trying to relearn is the fact that I have to stop eliminating important nutrients from my diet. Part of my eating disorder was a very obsessive focus on carbs and avoiding it, which caused me to lose a lot of nutrition at a very early teen age," Miel said.
Because of this, comments that "attack" her weight continue to affect Miel.
"I know that you're looking out for me and I know that you're probably a very sweet person, but it's just that there needs to be a little bit more awareness of boundaries because this is not a comment that you should just be saying to a random stranger," she said.
In the comments section, the social media user in question expressed their apology for their actions. "Oh, sorry about that, Miel. You are right. I apologize if I offended you," they said. To which, Miel replied: "It’s okay! I accept your apology, it’s completely alright. I just hope you understand and we can both grow for the better in the future."
Miel revealed in a previous interview that she used to feel ashamed of her appearance and didn’t feel comfortable about her weight. She eventually got a better sense of herself and started to love herself without any conditions.
"[T]here’s a lot of stress and pressure that comes with it to sort of be confident, but just me being present and who I am, that’s enough work for me right now as a plus-sized person seeking more body diversity. This way, I am able to help as well," Miel said.
