[Trigger warning: mention of eating disorder]
Miel Pangilinan has always been comfortable sharing glimpses of her life on her growing platform on TikTok, from doing makeup to typical fangirling moments.
However, the youngest daughter of Sharon Cuneta and Kiko Pangilinan recently asserted her boundaries when she responded to unsolicited comments about her body.
In a recent Tiktok, Pangilinan reacted to a netizen’s comment that she is beautiful but should “stop eating rice.”
Pangilinan said this was not the first time she has received backhanded remarks about her body and weight, which was why she was now calling out these comments as “very unnecessary, unwanted and pretty offensive.”
“The thing is, 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,” Pangilinan stressed.
Social media users purporting to be “worried” about her health feels “condescending” to her, added Pangilinan, noting that her parents, siblings and her own nutritionist were looking out for her and her health.
She later disclosed that she is recovering from an eating disorder and body image issues and is trying to relearn healthier habits by not stopping herself from eliminating essential nutrients from her diet.
“I’m just sharing this so I hope you understand why comments like this really do affect me. I’ve been trying to get out of the thought process and it just gets really bad when people make comments like this,” she said, adding that she used to have a “very obsessive focus on carbs,” which affected her negatively in her early teenage years.
The 19-year-old content creator then reiterated her firm stand on protecting her personal boundaries.
“Just because I make content online does not give you the right to overstep your boundaries and stick your nose on other people’s business,” she said firmly.
“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.”
Thankfully, the TikTok commenter appeared to have gotten the message, eventually apologizing to Pangilinan: “You are right, I apologize if I offended you.”
In return, Pangilinan responded to the TikTok user’s apology lightheartedly.
“It’s okay! I accept ur apology, it’s completely alright. I just hope you understand and we can both grow for the better in the future,” she wrote.
After graduating from high school last June, Pangilinan is currently taking a gap year before pursuing a college degree in her “dream school” in New York with a merit scholarship.