For children: A magical mirror teaches young Riya an important lesson on self-love

It was games period. Riya was heading towards the football field along with the other students when one of them said, “Hey, we forgot to bring the football.”

Pooja covered her mouth and giggled, “We don’t need a football when Riya is here!” Then, gesturing towards Riya, she said, “Come on, Madam Football!”

Everyone began to laugh. Riya felt her eyes sting, and tears rolled down her cheeks. As always, she was being fat-shamed.

Riya was a cheerful and well-mannered girl who loved to dance. She was a brilliant student, too. However, she was unhappy because she was overweight. The other children in her class were thin, and compared to them, she looked huge. She often heard other students whispering and giggling behind her back. They made all sorts of mean comments, making fun of everything from the space she occupied when sitting to the food in her lunchbox to the size of her clothes. At times, a classmate would even laugh at the bicycle tyre flattening under her weight.

Though she pretended that the comments did not disturb her, her self-confidence shattered anew every time someone commented on her body. Over the years, she had developed an inferiority complex and preferred to keep to herself...

Read more