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Priyanka Chopra Recalls Facing Racist Bullying In High School; Says 'My Confidence Was Stripped'
Superstar Priyanka Chopra moved to the US to live with her extended family at the age of 12. However, the actress soon broke up with the country and returned back to India during her teen days. In a recent interview, the Quantico actress bared it all for the world to know about her dark phase when she faced racist bullying while studying at an American high school.
The actress recalled how she took all the bullying personally and retreated into a shell. Priyanka said that the torment was so bad that she eventually had to return back to India to complete her schooling.
Speaking about how all the bullying took a toll on her, Priyanka told People magazine, "I took it very personally. Deep inside, it starts gnawing at you. "I went into a shell. I was like, 'Don't look at me. I just want to be invisible. My confidence was stripped. I've always considered myself a confident person, but I was very unsure of where I stood, of who I was."
Further, in her memoir Unfinished, PeeCee has mentioned that other teenage girls would yell insults like, "Brownie, go back to your country!" and "Go back on the elephant you came on" as she walked down the hall.
Priyanka said that she tried to ignore the bullies and sought refuge with a close group of friends, while also reaching out to the guidance counselor for help. However, it was no avail.
The actress was quoted as saying, "I don't even blame the city, honestly. I just think it was girls who, at that age, just want to say something that'll hurt. Now, at the other side of 35, I can say that it probably comes from a place of them being insecure. But at that time, I took it very personally."
The former Miss World said that she finally "broke up with America" and returned back to India after a phone call with her parents. "I was so blessed that when I went back to India, I was surrounded by so much love and admiration for who I was. Going back to India healed me after that experience in high school," Priyanka was quoted as saying.
Priyanka said that following her father's advice, she decided to leave her baggage behind. "In America, I was trying not to be different. Right? I was trying to fit in and I wanted to be invisible. When I went to India, I chose to be different," she told the magazine.
Talking about how she regained her confidence, Priyanka revealed that she started participating her extracurricular activities. The actress recalled, "People were like, 'Oh my gosh, you're so good at this. [That] built my confidence, having made new friends who were amazing and loving and doing actual teenage things. Going to parties, having crushes, dating, all the things, the normal stuff. It just built me up."
Priyanka said that by writing her memoir, she hopes that her story can encourage others who have been bullied or are battling the resulting "sadness" and low self-esteem that she experienced in her life.
Well, we must say, it's quite brave of PeeCee to open up about how a global icon like her, too have had her share of struggles in life.
Priyanka Chopra is currently busy with the promotions of her upcoming Netflix film The White Tiger which also stars Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav in pivotal roles.
