A model has revealed that school bullies taunted her so much she developed an eating disorder and even tried to kill herself.
Monica Huldt, 37, originally from Poland, moved to Malmö in Sweden when she was five years old and says the children in her class made it difficult for her to make friends.
In addition to name-calling, the teenager was subjected to xenophobic abuse and even had her house vandalised by bullies.
Now, happily married with a flourishing career and millions in the bank, Monica wants others to know how important it is to be kind.
“I was about 12 when the bullying really took off and became a weekly occurrence,” Monica, who shares content with her 282,000 Instagram followers (@swedish_bella_backup), told Jam Press.
“It was around the time when kids were starting to date and I wanted to be part of that so boys would pass me notes asking me to be their girlfriend.
“When I replied saying yes they would pass me another note saying I was ugly and that they were joking.
“It was horrible and humiliating and would happen pretty often, at least once a week.”
Monica says the kids made fun of her for being from another country and would often refer to her as a “dirty immigrant”.
She said: “It was mainly the boys but there were some girls in on it, too.
“People would steal my stuff and not give it back.
“I really just wanted to fit in and they preyed on this, getting my hopes up that I would have friends and then laugh at me in front of everyone.
“I would get very upset.
“I tried to laugh it off to not look stupid but it was really horrible.
Monica was so badly affected by the constant bullying that she began skipping meals and then purging, scrutinising what she ate.
She said: “I thought that if I lost weight I would be more desirable and [they] would want to be my friends.
“I got called ugly so much that I believed I was and that I would never meet anyone.
“One day things got so bad that I attempted suicide.
“My best friend found me and rushed me to hospital.
“It was a really hard time in my life and I didn’t feel like I could trust anyone.”
Outside of school the bullies made life difficult for Monica and even targeted her home where she lived with her mum and dad.
She said: “They egged my house and kicked our trash bins over, or stupid stuff like knocking on the door and running away.
“I tried to tell the teachers at school but they didn’t do anything and my parents thought it would pass.
“They had their own stuff going on and didn’t want to cause any trouble, I think.
“The school system in Sweden is pretty lame, at the time they almost never did anything about stuff like this.”
Monica managed to get through school but the bullying had lasting effects on her and deeply affected how she saw herself.
She said: “It took me a long time to start feeling confident in myself and I would never wish that torment on anyone.
“Even in my darkest moments, I’ve always tried to be kind to people because you never know what they’re going through or how it could affect them.
“Bullying is horrible and it’s still happening online but on a much bigger scale.
“I wish I could go back and tell my younger self that it gets better and not to not care about what other people say.
“I never stand for any kind of bullying on my platforms and if I ever see negative comments I’ll report and block them.
“I think that everything I have been through has made me stronger but being on social media is hard, sometimes the trolls still get to me.
“It hurts and I cry some days over it.
“The whole experience has definitely made me more open and kind and more accepting of others and their choices.”
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