Naomi Neo wasn't popular in school and was bullied

Naomi Neo wasn't popular in school and was bullied
PHOTO: Screengrab/meWATCH

She may be one of Singapore's most popular influencers with over 650,000 followers but Naomi Neo wasn't always well-liked.

On the latest episode of the meWATCH talk show Hear U Out, the 25-year-old revealed that she was bullied in school and suffered from social anxiety disorder.

She explained that it came about probably because she was "afraid of being judged".

"Growing up, I had always been criticised by others," Naomi shared.

It wasn't that people were jealous of her looks, she explained. Rather, she attributed it to her tomboyish personality and her inclination to "mingle with my seniors [in school]". She revealed that very few girls of her age would befriend her but she really doesn't know why.

Local TV host Quan Yi Fong pointed out that girls might be jealous of her looks and personality and would feel insecure about their boyfriends hanging out around her.

While Naomi didn't explicitly agree, she said that she might have gone a little overboard at times in her interactions with these girls.

For example, if a girl had a misunderstanding with her because of the boyfriend, Naomi would take the initiative to talk to the girl and try to befriend her.

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Without going into details, she added: "It'd cause more misunderstandings. They'd quarrel because of me. This creates unnecessary problems.

"Hence, now I don't have any friends. I'll whine to my husband frequently. I'll suddenly cry about not having any friends."

Naomi also confessed to having three really good friends in secondary school but they seldom keep in touch as a group after graduation.

She does catch up with them individually, but she said it hurts her when she sees the trio meeting up without inviting her.

"I remember once — I hope they're not watching this... Once, the four of us met up to celebrate one of their birthdays. They wanted to take photos at one point [and] they asked me to take photos of the three of them. I was gutted."

bryanlim@asiaone.com

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