‘Toxic’ social media scrutiny not good for AJ’s mental health

AJ Raval

While she wasn’t exactly unhappy with the size of her boobs, AJ Raval admitted that she got a little too excited about the idea of having them enhanced, especially now that she has been taking on sexy roles for online movies.

And so she did, last year. But now, she’s thinking of having her implants taken out.

“Last year, I had my boobs enhanced. I don’t want to lie—it’s just natural for me [to be frank]. But I’m planning to have them removed next year. Gusto ko magka-freedom sa sarili ko,” the 21-year-old actress said in a recent video conference for her coming sexy comedy flick, “Crush Kong Curly,” which will be available on Vivamax on Dec. 17.

AJ was pleased with the outcome of the procedure. But weirdly enough, that was when she started being more conscious of her breasts. “I wasn’t actually conscious about my boobs until I had them augmented. I have had some realizations. I feel like I may have gotten overly excited about it,” she said. In “Crush Kong Curly,” AJ plays Elle, a popular sexy celebrity vlogger, who used to be a “bullied ugly duckling” when she was younger. As she gets more comfortable in her own skin, she starts to believe that “sex is power.” And she harnesses that in her public and private shows.

Share of insecurities

While her friends are supportive of her job, the family Elle is supporting doesn’t know about it. And despite the image she puts out, she doesn’t just latch on to any man. She’s willing to wait for “the one,” who turns out to be Peter (Wilbert Ross), an-ex seminarian.

Just like her character, AJ admitted that she has her share of insecurities. “I was a hyperactive child and always got hurt. Now, I like physical activities, like jet skiing and Muay Thai. I always have wounds and bruises. That’s why I have always been conscious about my skin,” she said. “Older students at school also bullied me, because I used to have a boy’s haircut when I was in second grade.”

“But I tried to shrug them off and not let them get to me,” added AJ, who has started working out regularly and eating a well-balanced diet to maintain her physique. “I worked on myself—not to please others, but for my own sake.”

Because her movie character also has to face vicious and relentless online scrutiny, AJ couldn’t help but see herself in Elle. Recently, she found herself in hot water after bashers accused her of being a third party to Diego Loyzaga and Barbie Imperial’s romantic relationship.

She was called names. She received death threats. It was “toxic”—so much so that she shied away from social media. “It became so toxic there that I had to take a break. Some people were so mad at me … It wasn’t good for my mental health,” said AJ, who insisted that she had nothing to do with the said couple.

One lesson

Now, she has learned the art of “dedma.” “I used to get affected, I admit … But then, I realized that I have nothing to explain to them. I have said the truth. But some people choose not to understand; they believe everything they see on social media, even if it’s not true.”

If there’s one lesson to be learned from the film, it’s this: “We can’t judge other people based on what they show online because we don’t know their offline realities. We don’t know what’s going on in their lives.”

AJ has done around six films this year, and most of them had her in sexy roles. Her father, action star Jeric Raval, isn’t supportive of such projects, but he’s also not against them. “He understands me because he’s an actor himself. He’s not fully supportive because his love for me as a father prevails. But I have an upcoming action project, and that he supports,” she said.

And the more genres she tries, the better she becomes as a performer, she said. “I’m not that good yet, but I’m glad I’m improving with each project.” INQ