Venus Raj. Image: Instagram/@onlyvenusraj
Venus Raj, who recently opened up about dating a 28-year-old guy when she was only 16, addressed hurtful comments she has been receiving, a day after her revelation.
The beauty queen was saddened by comments judging her for what she experienced, as she noted how “perspective matters” on her Instagram page yesterday, Jan. 24.
“It stings! [It’s] sad to see how others see a half-filled glass as half-empty. I guess perspective matters,” she said.
Raj also showed a stitched photo of news reports on the subject, along with a comment from a netizen defending Raj from those putting the blame on her, despite being a minor then, instead of on the “adult guy.”
Amid criticisms, Raj stressed that she stands by the message she conveyed through her revelation. She noted how a person is not defined by her past, and that God will always forgive.
“Don’t let people brand you of someone you’re not,” she added. “Don’t be afraid to share your story.”
She then described her life as a “testimony of second chances, forgiveness, and grace,” and compared it to a broken vessel fixed by God.
“It took a lot to muster my courage to share this to you. My main reason is to glorify the One I serve,” Raj said. “I guess I have fulfilled that purpose.”
Fellow beauty queens Rabiya Mateo, Lara Quigaman and TV host Iya Villania expressed their love and support to Raj through their comments.
Image: Instagram/@onlyvenusraj
Raj was the country’s representative in the Miss Universe pageant in 2010, where she finished 4th runner up. The beauty queen continued her studies after the contest, and earned her master’s degree in Community Development in 2017 from the University of the Philippines. She also graduated from the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA) in the United Kingdom last year. JB
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