Not sexy enough? Ria Atayde tells body-shamers: ‘Go ahead, call me fat; anong magagawa niyo?’
Ria Atayde. Image: Instagram/@ria
Ria Atayde did not hesitate to clap back at critics and body-shamers who claim that she is “not sexy enough,” as she declared that she’s “confident and comfortable” in her own skin.
Months after her calendar shoot with a liquor brand, Atayde said at a media conference that she had conversations with fellow celebrities and other friends whenever they struggled to embrace their own bodies.
“I’ve had conversations [about struggling to feel sexy] with people from the industry and outside of it. I think it’s normal,” she said. “Given how society is and how our industry works, it can be ruthless when it comes to physical attributes. And what I always tell people is at the end of the day, it should be the opinions of people that matter to you which should matter.”
The actress then revealed that losing weight is hard for her since she is dealing with hypothyroidism and she has “no gallbladder.”
“I have hypothyroidism. I have no gallbladder. Losing weight is a lot harder for me than it is for other people. So, go ahead. Call me fat. Anong magagawa niyo? I’m sick with stuff I can’t fix. So, sino ka diyan,” she added.
The “Viral Scandal” star further said that her calendar shoot empowered her to “celebrate” her own body, as she stressed that sexiness is about “being confident and comfortable in your own skin.”
“For me, sexy has always been about being confident and comfortable in your own skin. Being able to embrace it and celebrate it because and in spite of its flaws. And I think after the calendar, I can celebrate it even more. It didn’t change it, it made it even more real to me,” she said.
Atayde also expressed her delight over the supportive comments she received following her calendar shoot in spite of the negative comments. “When the calendar was released, there were negative comments but there are people who would reach out and say, ‘Thank you, you embraced your body and it taught me to embrace mine too,’” she added.
The Kapamilya star also hoped that people would feel empowered to “embrace and understand themselves” in a bid to promote body positivity.
“It takes a level of embracing yourself and understanding yourself. Kasi kung magpapa-apekto ka [sa negative comments], then your whole life will just be affected by the people around you even if at the end of the day, it’s all about you with yourself,” she stated.
Following her calendar shoot in January 2023, Atayde’s mother, seasoned actress Sylvia Sanchez, also defended the actress from naysayers who chose to pick on her figure.
“Merong namba-bash kay Ria pero wala akong pakialam sa kanilang lahat. You know why? Masaya ang buhay ng anak ko, masaya kaming pamilya. Okay ang anak ko. So bakit ko iintindihin ‘yung mga taong bashers na mga walang mukha,” Sanchez said.
