British tourist speaks up about ‘awful’ PH vacation

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – In a YouTube video, British tourist Elayne Peddy called her trip to the Philippines her “worst holiday.”

During her 4-day trip to El Nido, Palawan, she said, locals called her fat and singled her out because of her dark skin and height.

“It was the worst 4 days of my entire life,” Elayne shared in the beginning of the 13-minute video.

“I’ve never felt so unattractive….Whenever I stepped out, I had people pointing, I had people laughing, I had people giving me the most hideous comments ever,” said Elayne as she became emotional. Elayne is a vlogger on YouTube, sharing videos with a body-positive message. 

Aside from being called names, Elayne said that she was asked to pay double the price of goods in some stores and for trikes because of her weight.

As a result, Elayne didn’t want to leave her hotel or go out on her own because of how she felt.

“When a whole group of people turn and point at you and laugh at you, as confident as I was – because my confidence has disintegrated into pieces… that was awful.”

Elayne added that it was in El Nido, specifically, that she felt uncomfortable. The rest of her two-week holiday was spent visiting other places in the Philippines, including Manila and Cebu, but she didn’t have any bad experiences there.

On April 3, a week after she posted her first video, Elayne released another one, thanking those who gave her supportive comments on social media.

“I just wanna say a massive, massive thank you to everybody who’s contacted me via social media or left beautiful replies on the YouTube video,” said Elayne in her second video.

Aside from Filipinos who apologized for people’s behavior toward her during her visit to the country, Filipino personalities like Daphne Osena-Paez, Cecile Zamora van Straten, and Mikey Bustos commented on Elayne’s social media posts as well.

On her first YouTube video, Mikey told Elayne: “Dear, Elayne. On behalf of the ignorant in our country I am sorry. The Philippines is an amazing place with amazing people and I am proud to be Filipino, but sadly fat-shaming and dark skin-shaming is at times still somehow acceptable in common conversation and humor.

“I personally loathe this rude, disgusting, and archaic behaviour to no end and it needs to and will stop! As a comedian and Pinoy public figure I don’t perpetuate it in my humor nor work. I praise dark skin and being whatever weight you are. Please give us Filipinos another chance and understand that your bad experience in El Nido is not a reflection of our warm, diverse, and kind-hearted people.

“Also the Philippines, like many other countries, is an ongoing work in progress. I love you and think you are beautiful! If you’re ever (by some miracle) in Manila again I’d love to show you around, and ensure a positive Pinoy experience!”

Meanwhile, Daphne and Cecile apologized through comments on Elayne’s Instagram, where she posted a photo of El Nido. 

My amazing view #philippines #philippines2016 #holiday #amazing #joy #elnido

A photo posted by YoutubeElayne Peddy (@elayne_peddy) on Mar 9, 2016 at 10:00pm PST

 

“Just saw your video. I am so so sorry that you had to go through that. And please allow me to apologize on behalf of Filipinos. There are no words to explain the ignorance and insensitivity. Sending you lots of hugs,” said Daphne.

On the other hand, Cecile said: “So sorry for what happened. I apologize for my countrymen.”

Stacy Gutierrez, the editor-in-chief of Plump magazine and “body love advocate,” chose to enumerate the “painful truths […] that we must confront as Filipinos,” instead of writing an open letter to Elayne. Her main ideas are summed up in excerpts below:

1. “We’re only hospitable when our visitors look like us, or are “better-looking” than us.”

2. “We are so sold on the idea that other people’s bodies are our business.”

3. “Our ignorance and lack of education lead us to stereotyping people.

4. “We are shockingly racist ourselves. We’re so quick to react to racist comments thrown at us, but nobody blinks an eye when it happens to non-Pinoys.”

5. “We do not have respect for personal space.”

However, not all the comments that Elayne received were supportive. Others have said that Elayne overreacted and is using her video to gain popularity.

About the negative comments, Elayne said: “I knew this video would get some negative comments, which is, you know, I put something on a platform like YouTube, I kind of expect some people that don’t agree with me. If you don’t agree with me, that’s perfectly fine. There’s been some negative comments, but you just got to roll with the punches.”

Negative comments aside, Elayne said at the end of her second video, “I’m glad that this may start some form of awareness about how people feel when it comes to body image and the way they look.”

Aside from her video, Elayne also posted a message on her social media accounts, thanking people for their kind words.

The response to my video has been overwhelming. The support, kind words and genuine concern for my wellbeing has been mind blowing . I read every comment and email and I just want to say a massive THANK YOU #thankyou #support

A photo posted by YoutubeElayne Peddy (@elayne_peddy) on Apr 1, 2016 at 1:36am PDT

– Rappler.com