While many people might think that Internet bullies are something new, actress Tori Spelling reminds us that they are not. She was 16-years-old when she appeared as Donna on Beverly Hills, 90210 beginning in 1990. In a recent Instagram post, Tori opened up about being bullied for her looks while acting on the show.
In particular, it made her sensitive to comments about her eyes. She shared what appears to be a recent photo alongside some throwback photos from her younger years. She wrote, “My Dad always said “Your eyes are the windows to your soul”… I’ve never forgotten that. Because of that belief my Dad rarely let his actors wear sunglasses in a scene. He believed their eyes conveyed everything. All emotions.”
Tori Spelling reveals she was bullied during her time on ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’
View this post on Instagram
Her post continued, “I’ve carried that motto thru my life. I always look people in the eyes. [I] hold their gaze always. I never look away. I’ve taught my kids to always show people respect and look them in the eyes when they are talking to them.”
RELATED: Learn More About The ‘90210’ Reboot From Tori Spelling And Jennie Garth
“I used to hate my eyes. When I started 90210 at 16 I was filled with low self confidence. Then, internet trolls (yep we had them back then too!) called me frog and bug eyed. Being put under a microscope as a young girl in her formative years was hard. I spent years begging makeup artists on my shows and movies to please try to make my eyes look smaller. I would cry over my looks in the makeup trailer chair.”
“I didn’t start to realize what an asset my eyes were till I did Scream 2 and the cover of Rolling Stone reenacting the iconic shower scene from Psycho. My eyes made that photo. They showed the emotion I was “feeling in my soul” in that picture.”
She people others to stop commenting on other’s looks
“Now, my face. Many people ask why I only show one side of my face. Some write hurtful things. Yes, it is a choice. My choice. Because, a vulnerable innocent excited girl showed all of her face at 16 and was eaten alive. Choices about my looks were made for me by nameless and faceless accounts. Words can’t be unread. Cyber bullying existed then and it does now worse than ever. So, every time one of you ask me why I don’t look straight on in photos and videos know why I make that choice. Years of hurtful comments that I don’t even want to share to give them energy. Way worse than bug or frog eyes. Just remember next time that you go to comment on someone’s account regarding their face or body or choices, you don’t know them. They don’t know you. But, their soul will remember that unkind comment. It’ll be imprinted on them. Our memories can’t remember physical pain but we do remember emotional, verbal, and written pain.”
She concluded, “That said. Here’s me. Straight on. I love my eyes now. They make me uniquely me. And, I rarely wear sunglasses. (Scroll 2see Rolling Stone cover)”
This truly is a great message for everyone.