Food in surf town Siargao where she's been spending most her time "is just so good" Nadine Lustre said she doesn't really mind putting on weight.
While she takes no issue in weight gain and likes her body the way it is now, Lustre told the Wake Up With Jim & Saab podcast why she just can't let those unsolicited comments pass.
"It's not that i'm insecure about me gaining weight, or it's not that I think I look bad because I'm gaining weight [because] I like my body now. It's just that, how would, for example, a girl who's younger like me and who's not really confident and still figuring out herself reads that comment. How do you think she would feel?" she said.
The unofficial "president" of outspoken and progressive Filipinos on the internet, Lustre, who has ten million followers on Instagram, understands the responsibility she holds, particularly towards fans who consider her a role model.
She recently went viral for buying lechon sauce at a local grocery to go with her lechon manok, her look immortalized in this year's halloween costumes. She also fired back at showbiz columnist Cristy Fermin, who implied that she deserved the body shaming for frequently wearing clothes that showed most of her skin.
Lustre said she personally doesn't mind being a target of hate online as she knows herself more than anyone. But she still makes conscious effort to respond to hate for a reason.
"It's not that I like proving a point. It's just that, I like, in a way, answering so that people will stop doing this to others. I like shutting them down because I don't want other people to feel na 'Ah nababash siya. What if this happens to me?' Even if it's directed to me, i'm sure that does something to people who read those comments," she said.
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In a culture where women celebrities are traditionally told to pick their battles when addressing criticism, Lustre said times have changed due to social media.
"Let's be honest, it's not healthy. I've seen a lot of things on the internet that would make people feel insecure or think twice about themselves. It's happened too many times even with my friends. 'Yun lang I just wanna try to make a difference at least or change something," she said.
It took a while but Lustre said she has since realized that the harsh comments people make actually have nothing to do with her.
"When they hate on celebrities, when they hate on other people, it's not true what they're saying about these people. It's more of how they see themselves and how they perceive themselves. That's actually what they're saying and that's how they feel about themselves," she said, adding that she doesn't wanna grow older and regret the things she failed to do just because she let people's opinions get to her.
"I didn't wanna grow older thinking na, 'I wish i did this, I wish I did that. But then I couldn't because there was this and I had to please people, and I had to,'" she said.
"I really don't know where my courage is coming from and why i'm able to just say whatever I wanna say and just do whatever I wanna do. I just really don't care anynmore. I just wanna live my life. That's it," she added.
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