What insult or criticism did you receive as a child that you never forgot? How old were you when it was said to you?

Why do you talk so much? I was 4. That was also the first time she yelled at me like that.

I don’t talk anymore unless necessary.

That I was too emotional. I would be humiliated for crying by my own mother. Unfortunately I cried a lot due to witnessing DV almost daily at a very young age, suffice to say it was ingrained in me that emotions are bad and never to burden anyone with them. I was 4

“Who would ever want to date you?” – childhood best friend/crush, when I was 14 years old

That hurt so much because he and I had been friends for 6 years. And since I liked him at the time, it has made me really insecure about dating and romantic relationships over the years. I’m 29 now, and it still affects me just a bit to this day.

Had a teacher tell me girls like me were on a path to a career in “dancing for dollars” which I’m not sure if it was a dig at something I did or my appearance that made her jump to that conclusion. She was just a bitter, snarky, joyless woman who should have never been a teacher in the first place. Jokes on her though, I’m a doctor.

Male teacher shitting on my career project telling me I would never be an astrophysicist and laughing in my face. 7th grade. I was in the gifted program, straight A student. I became a lawyer, pretty much gave up pursuing any career in math or science after that teacher embarrassed me in front of all my classmates. Pushing STEM for girls wasn’t a thing in the 80’s, at least not in my school.

People commenting on my weight (skinny). Still have body issues at 65.

The last thing my father ever said to me before he took his own life was “You’re not enough for me to live for.” I was 19. Not sure if that still counts as a child but it affected my life more than anything ever has, before or since. It was more than 20 years ago and I am not over it.

My grandmother told me my entire childhood, as far back as I can remember until I was thrown out at 16, that I was worthless and would never amount to anything

Fuck you grandma, I’m successful AND happy and in my 50s now. Fuck. You.

I was 12 and I wasn’t shaving yet. I was at summer camp playing in the pool and a couple boys made fun of me because I had hair in my armpit area and called me a gorilla.

I remember crying at home begging my mom to let me shave my arm pits. She caved and let me but the boys never stopped calling me gorilla. Unfortunately my armpit hair grows really fast so I have to shave it every morning or it gets super stubbly. Took me years to ever feel comfortable wearing tank tops or a swim suit top again.

So, so many weight comments. Struggled with an ED for 20 years