Woman, 29, Was Bullied for Her Size and Called ‘Big Bird’ in School. Now Her Former Tormentors Are Asking for Weight-Loss Tips

"I got mean comments and bullying all the time," Olivia Bennett said

NEED TO KNOW

• A woman who was bullied about her weight in high school is now getting messages asking for weight-loss tips from former classmates
• Olivia Bennett, 29, said a weight-loss medication helped her lose nearly 100 lbs. and dramatically improved her mobility and confidence
• The mom from Northern Ireland says she ignores messages from her former bullies, calling the experience “empowering”

A woman who was teased for her weight and called “big bird” by her high school classmates is getting the last laugh.

Olivia Bennett was “always the bigger girl” growing up, according to Kennedy News & Media.

“All my friends were very slim and I always carried a good bit more weight than everybody else,” she said.

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Bennett, 29, said that her peers were often cruel about her appearance.

"I got mean comments and bullying all the time — especially in high school,” Bennett recalled. "I always felt like I wanted a chance to fit in with the cool crew and I tried really hard with that.”

"I would always get the comments, 'She's fat,' or 'There's big bird', " said the mom of one from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Bennett, who stands at 5 feet 5 inches, said her weight eventually crept up to 225 lbs. and was causing challenges in her everyday life.

"I couldn't walk or run or anything like that,” she said.

The bank worker said she ultimately began taking a weight-loss medication in January 2025 — a decision that she described as “life changing.”

"Within the first three months, I think I lost about 43 lbs. It felt amazing, I couldn't believe it,” Bennett told Kennedy News and Media.

She began posting about her weight loss journey on social media, where some of the very people who once bullied her started reaching out to her for weight loss advice.

"Loads of people from school message me who used to be a bully, asking me about [the medication] and saying I look great,” she said, adding, "I just don't even reply to them.”

"It's funny because they didn't like me when I was fat and now that I'm thinner, they want to talk,” she continued. "It is empowering [that they message me]. I feel like I've proved them wrong."

Bennett said she has lost about 100 lbs. overall, and hopes to reach her goal weight of 118 lbs.

"My target weight is … for my height and my BMI, so once I reach that I'm going to gradually go down the doses [on my medication] and see how I get on with that," she said.

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