She went to Facebook confronting bullies and encouraging victims to embrace themselves and not to allow negative words to affect them.
“I’m going to talk about skinny shaming, it is real and we should stop ignoring it. “Naturally thin people are subject to daily body shaming, but no one speaks about it or defends them. “On the contrary it seems okay to judge them, why is it that we only see fat shaming as bullying, but skinny shaming is okay?

“Many people think that thin people maintain their bodies by starving themselves, so they think offering them food might help,” Mbali posted on Facebook. Mbali, has been body shamed all her life for being tall and skinny. She told the Herald that she started experiencing being called names in primary school and it went on during secondary school.

Also read: Bullying in SA schools: What all parents need to know

“People often ask me questions such as, ‘are you sick’ and ‘is your family feeding you’?” “As much as I love how I look, it is hurtful to find people making fun of me just because of how I look.” She says her mother has helped her to stand her ground against body shamers and to embrace herself. “My mom is also a naturally thin person, so I take after her, this is who I am and I’m proud of it,” she said.

Also read: Bullying: What parents should know

Her social media post received a wide reaction,even from people from outside the country. She was called for TV interviews and asked to be a model for a Johannesburg fashion event, but she was not ready to attend at the time. Her mother, Minkateko Muhlaba, said the post gave her hope that her daughter is now accepting herself.

“She once tried committing suicide by drinking tablets at school, because of the shaming. She used to be ashamed of herself, she would not even wear her bikini when swimming, but talking about it, is one step in the right direction,” she said. Mbali urges parents to encourage their children to love themselves and to be confident in their own skin.

People who suffer from depression or are suicidal and have anxiety, can visit the South African Depression and Anxiety Group or Childline South Africa websites for help and more information on how to overcome bullying.