‘I’m so tired of being strong’— Awra Briguela breaks silence on relentless online hate

Awra Briguela aired her frustration over what she described as the seemingly endless criticism she faces on social media.

On Facebook, Briguela lamented how some netizens continue to hurl disparaging remarks at her even when she has done nothing wrong.

“Imagine waking up every day, trying to live your life, minding your own business, expressing yourself, and doing things that make you happy, only to find out that people have once again found another reason to make fun of you, criticize you, and turn you into a topic of hate,” she wrote.

Exasperated by the negative portrayal of her on social media, Briguela asked: “Like, what exactly do you want me to do? Stop living my life? Stop being confident? Stop expressing myself just because my existence makes some people uncomfortable?”

She also expressed frustration with online news outlets and social media accounts that, she said, contribute to the spread of “that kind of hatred” for the sake of engagement and reactions.

“You are not just posting content. You are giving people another reason and another platform to bully someone,” she said.

Despite the frequent criticism and vitriol she receives from netizens, Briguela admitted that the remarks still hurt her.

“I’m not asking everyone to support me. I’m not forcing anyone to accept me. But I hope people realize that being different doesn’t make someone less deserving of kindness and respect,” she said.

“I’m so tired of having to be strong all the time. I’m so tired of pretending that these things don’t affect me. Because they do. More than you’ll ever know,” she concluded.