Preeti Nair - From Being Bullied In School To Becoming The Funniest Woman In Singapore Right now

She may be funny, but Preeti Nair (aka @Preetipls aka ) isn’t joking around when it comes to her influence. Known for her razor sharp wit and fearlessly calling out bullsh*t when she sees it, Preeti gets personal about why she’s doing what she’s doing.

That’s what Preeti says when we came to the subject of body positivity. And that’s why her New Year’s resolution for 2019 (her only resolution for 2019), is to stop saying that.

“And I’m proud to say that I haven’t said that yet! OK, maybe as a joke sometimes, but I’ve never actually said it and meant it… so far.”

This Internet personality we’ve come to know and adore over the past few years didn’t always enjoy this popularity. Growing up, Preeti recounts being bullied in school—from childish namecalling to mean comments about her weight and race.

“I get that we were all kids once and that we all laughed about silly things that would be considered not OK today— that, I can look past,” she prefaces. “But back then, there were a handful of people who were actually out there to insult me, and went on Facebook and made memes before memes were a thing.” “But as the great Kelly Clarkson said: ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’” the 25-year-old continues with a laugh.

WHY SHE SPEAKS UP

“I mean now, when I look at it, I’m like: ‘That was so lame’. I can’t believe I wasted tears and so many days being upset, but obviously when you’re a child going through it, it’s traumatising,” she says.

Is that why she’s so outspoken about cyberbullying and online shaming now?

“It’s definitely a trigger, because you think, ‘oh sh*t, I’ve experienced this before.’ It’s all too familiar.”

During the time of this interview, Preeti had recently called someone out for a fat-shaming post. Long story short, the influencer had posted a picture where she was edited to look bigger, and asked her followers if they’d still love her.