By Rachel Chan, The New Paper, 18 June 2017 at 04:51 pm
Local actress Julie Tan may be one of the most popular TV stars right now, winning over hordes of admiring fans over the years.
PHOTO: MEDIACORP
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But filming her latest Channel 8 drama, The Lead, cut too close to home.
On the show, which airs on weekdays at 9pm, she plays an actress sporting buck teeth, unruly eyebrows and messy hair who ends up going for plastic surgery when she is bullied over her looks.
Tan, 24, got a taste of how others treated her because of her appearance in real life, as she would walk around and have lunch without shedding her character's oddly mismatched clothes and unsightly make-up.
She told The New Paper: "I would prank everyone and it's funny when they couldn't recognise me.
"Then I could see how other people reacted to me — some even felt disgusted by me, which made me feel sad and you finally realise how superficial some people are."
She added: "All along they say beauty is on the inside and we preach that, but actually people still judge. They really gave me the cold shoulder when I was dressed as my character and in that moment I understood why some people wanted to undergo plastic surgery."
Tan, 24, got a taste of how others treated her because of her appearance in real life, as she would walk around and have lunch without shedding her character's oddly mismatched clothes and unsightly make-up. She could see how other people reacted to her ugliness — some felt disgusted by her, which made her feel sad and she realised how superficial some people are.
Picture posted by Jessicacindy on 29 April 2017
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What she experienced and witnessed while filming The Lead also brought her back to when she was 20.
She recalled how she was body-shamed online so badly that she almost went under the knife herself.
Haters called her "flat-chested" and pointed out her "high forehead" and "flat nose", which eventually caused her to have depression and become bulimic (a person suffering from an eating disorder marked by bouts of overeating, followed by fasting or vomiting), which then led to thyroid problems.
Tan said: "I had very bad anxiety attacks and during that period of time, I couldn't cope with the stress and pressure. As much as I say it didn't affect me, as a young woman, it really did.
"Whenever I looked in the mirror, I actually hated myself and would start slapping and hurting myself, wondering why am I so ugly and alive."
Actress Julie Tan said in a Toggle interview that she has returned from New York a changed person - one with big dreams. She said at Sunday's Star Awards (16 April 2017) that she will be moving on from Mediacorp when her contract expires in June.
Photo: Screen shot / Toggle
Picture posted by Todays on 17 April 2017 at 9:43 PM
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http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/television/julie-tan-bigger-stage-awaits-me
It came to a point when her mother even followed her to consult a plastic surgeon to enhance her breasts and sharpen her nose, but Tan didn't go through with it in the end as she felt she needed to embrace her flaws.
Said Tan: "I fought through that period for two to three years, and these are parts of my life that people don't see.
I struggled with it every single day. On normal days, I would be fine and act like I didn't care, but when I got home, it hit me very badly... and I carried (the struggles) by myself.
Fortunately, she's now at a place where she has finally accepted herself, in order to set an example for her fans.
"Especially after working on The Lead, I realised that I am who I am, and I don't need anyone's approval," she said.
"Especially after working on The Lead, I realised that I am who I am, and I don't need anyone's approval," she said.
Picture posted by Her World Plus
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PHOTO: The Straits Times
Picture posted by AsiaOne on 05 May 2016
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Photo by Hong Chee Yan, posted by Dawn Hee, Mediacorp (Style X Style) on 12 November 2015
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http://www.stylexstyle.com/editorial/fashion/julie-tan-keeping-it-real?page=full
#thelead8 An Ya is the ugly duckling who turned into a beautiful swan after a plastic surgery. It raised her to fame but the backlash that followed was too much for her to handle. Will she tide through this trying period? Find out in The Lead 《第一主角》 Dì yī zhǔ jiǎo, this May 22nd, 9pm on Mediacorp Channel 8. #julietan
Picture posted by "julietan Popüler medialar", #julietan Instagram Pictures
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By Rachel Chan, The New Paper, 18 June 2017 at 04:51 pm
[2] Dawn Hee, Mediacorp (Style X Style), Julie Tan: Keeping It Real, posted on 12 November 2015, http://www.stylexstyle.com/editorial/fashion/julie-tan-keeping-it-real?page=full
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- http://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/original_images/May2016/JulieTanCover.jpg
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- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_smcUsnS9ZUyKXezJ78WRJ-s-5TmD-vPgktFeuAXhkyeYwxK7-MXM3LOTZM2moczIeUyfpNDyhf9XZ1wG5HcZ3jGZn-ENBSB9ndwen11ZfwEAfNc4lJjpVzseWzcw3iiytKAVnj2sxFJk/s1600/RESIZED+Julie+Tan+1.jpg
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