Nigerian radio personality, Tolu Oniru, better known as Toolz, has recounted how she faced severe body-shaming that nearly led her to abandon her career.
In a post shared on her Instagram page, the radio personality disclosed the challenges she encountered due to body shaming.
Toolz recounted her initial positive experience in the public eye when she began her role as a presenter at radio statio, Beat FM.
However, the atmosphere turned negative as she became a target for body-shaming, especially on social media platforms like Twitter.
She revealed a critical moment when she woke up to discover she was trending on Twitter, unaware while she slept.
Toolz said that the overwhelming negativity and body-shaming posts made her contemplate quitting her career.
She said: “So let me tell you about how I almost quit my whole career because of body shaming. My job as a presenter at Beat FM was the first time I experienced life in the public eye.
“Initially the attention was positive, then the negative attention started – and it was bad. I mean very bad. Someone would disagree with something I said on-air and it would descend into body shaming.
“My breaking point happened one morning when I woke up and found out I was trending on (then) Twitter. I trended while I was asleep! It had been a tough week, and waking up to all sorts of horrible body shaming posts made me think that perhaps this career wasn’t for me.
“I just wasn’t used to all the negativity and at that point quitting seemed to be a great idea. At least that way, I wouldn’t have to deal with all the horrible criticism.
“A day or two later, I thought about it some more and realised that I didn’t make the move to Lagos to let some trolls bully me out of a job, and many years later, I’m so glad I didn’t quit.
Toolz emphasized the importance of self-acceptance and resilience. She urged individuals to focus on becoming the best version of themselves, irrespective of societal standards or criticisms. T
“Honestly, whether you’re big, small, curvy, slim, have a big booty, no booty, tall, short, someone somewhere will find something wrong with you.
“What truly matters is what you think of yourself. You need to remember to keep trying to be the best version of yourself.And whatever changes you make should be foryou, not to keep a man like “aunty’ put it.”
KanyiDaily recalls that Toolz Oniru had also narratd how she escaped embarrassment at a public dinner due to a failed bank transaction.
