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<\/p>\nA woman who was bullied over her "thick" legs got the last laugh \u2013 by becoming a successful model.<\/p>\n
Victoria Matosa has an incurable condition called lipoedema, which causes an abnormal build-up of fat in the legs.<\/p>\n
It can be painful and effect mobility, which cruel trolls latched onto.<\/p>\n
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The 26-year-old, from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, was branded a "penguin" because of how she walks.<\/p>\n
And for years, she hid her body away under baggy clothes in a bid to avoid nasty insults.<\/p>\n
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She said: \u201cI always had thick legs but it started to get worse after [I started getting] my period [and] I couldn\u2019t even wear shorts outside the house, I felt too ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started to avoid going to the beach and only [wore] leggings and jeans, which made me very uncomfortable, [as well as] distancing myself from friends out of embarrassment.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to bullying and pressure to always be doing a lot of exercise to lose weight, I tried many restrictive diets, which resulted in me binge-eating.<\/p>\n
\u201cI [used to] spend three hours in the gym until I reached exhaustion, giving up and then eating compulsively.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria began accepting herself when she was diagnosed with lipoedema in February 2023.<\/p>\n
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But while she was "relieved" to learn that the swelling in her legs wasn't her fault, it was hard to learn she may require surgery in the future.<\/p>\n
Victoria said: \u201cIt was a mixture of feelings \u2013 before, I blamed myself for not being able to lose weight in my legs, even working out intensely.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, I go to the gym and have an anti-inflammatory diet, but I don\u2019t feel ready to [have an] operation, as I\u2019d have to do three liposuctions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel sad and discouraged with each passing day [but] I try to accept and love myself more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria has taken great steps in her journey to self love \u2013 but admits it hasn't always been easy.<\/p>\n
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She receives horrible comments from online trolls, which she tries to ignore as best she can.<\/p>\n
Victoria added: \u201cI\u2019ve already suffered a lot of bullying on the internet, people didn\u2019t like me because of my weight and my body.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got tired of receiving messages of curses that only had the objective of hurting me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis continues to be routine in my life, only different than before, because I don\u2019t let these people make me feel like a monster."<\/p>\n
Instead, she focuses on the positivity she receives on Instagram.<\/p>\n
She boasts more than 4.3 million supportive fans on the platform, where she posts modelling shots and spreads awareness about her condition.<\/p>\n
Victoria added: \u201cI want to be able to help other women, because after revealing lipoedema on Instagram, I had several reports from women who felt bad and didn\u2019t know they had this.\u201d<\/p>\n
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