Ghanaian entrepreneur and leadership development advocate, Mary Anane Awuku has shared her experiences with bullying, revealing how she was mocked for her physical appearance but later learned to embrace what made her different.

Sharing her ordeal on The Career Trail programme aired on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, she recalled how she was often teased by peers over some of her facial features while in school.

“In SHS, I did go through bullying. I was bullied for my long ears and my pointy lips and long nose. You don’t say. You know, so yes, I did go through that,” she said.

Mary Anane Awuku noted that some of the comments were particularly hurtful at the time, especially the names she was called.

“They used to say my lips are like pencil, and stuff like that,” she highlighted.

However, she explained that over time, she changed the way she perceived those experiences, choosing not to internalise the insults.

“I said to myself, that if they are laughing at certain parts of my body, it means I had something different which means I am special,” she reflected.

Eventually, she embraced her appearance, adding that she even stopped trying to hide parts of herself she once felt insecure about.

“I used to cover my ears a lot because they were always laughing at them. But I realized that some hairstyles, there’s nothing you can do about it so you just have to let it out. So I don’t cover them anymore because I am special,” she emphasized.

She encouraged people who face ridicule over their looks to accept and own what sets them apart.

“It is how you receive it. If they laugh at any part of your body, don’t dwell on it. You are special, that is why you don’t look like everyone else,” she advised.