A self-loathing 16-year-old girl who “hates life” took to one of Reddit’s harshest communities, r/RoastMe, in anticipation that she would be mocked for her obesity — but got well-meaning advice on self-improvement instead.
The r/RoastMe subreddit is a place people go to post their pictures and receive rude, if not downright nasty—but often humorous—remarks about their appearance.
Participating users, who have to be at least 16, are told to post unaltered photographs of themselves for honest criticism. People with depression or other mental illnesses are discouraged from joining in.
Instead of mocking her for her obesity and her Tumblr-inspired aesthetics (short, dyed blue hair and a “Keep Calm and Carry On” t-shirt, with Pokemon toys in the background), a Reddit user named Shiftgood gave her a healthy dose of honesty on how to fix her life.
Shiftgood said: “I gotta be honest here. You gotta dig down deep and stop drinking soda and eating processed foods. Its going to be hard, like really hard as you’re probably addicted to sugar. But its not only your brain thats addicted, its also the bacteria in your gut – so you’re going to have to wash it out with fiber and water [sic].”
“Seriously, every time you’re thirsty – drink water or tea. Thats it [sic],” continued the poster.
“And every day before school or work – grab an apple, orange, or banana on your way out the door Throw on some headphones and walk around the block in the morning, every morning, to get the blood pumping and your metabolism up.”
“The sooner you start the better it will be, and it will get easier – fast. Faster than you think so just work hard with no excuses through the shitty first week. If you don’t then you’re probably going to have a pretty shit life. Its up to you, and no one else [sic].”
Shiftgood’s post made it to the top of r/BestOf, which highlights the best posts on Reddit. The post itself is currently sitting at 36.8k points for its brutal honesty and healthy advice—many users were startled by the “roast.” One user exclaimed: “I’ve never seen so much pure honesty and sadness.”
We could all learn a thing or two from Shiftgood.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
