Plus-size mom stands firm after online attacks on her child

There was a time when Devodean Green barely stepped beyond her front door.

Fresh out of high school and acutely aware of her plus size, the St Mary native said the weight of public judgement felt heavier than the extra pounds she carried. As a teenager and young adult, her self-consciousness grew so intense that she withdrew almost completely from public life.

"I did not go outside, when I needed to go places like Western Union I would have to write letters for my little sister or brother to collect the transfer for me, because I would not want to go on the road. Once I step outside I would hear 'Jesus, yuh big eeh!' and that had hit home."

The emotional toll deepened after the birth of her older daughter, now 18. Hormonal challenges brought further physical changes, compounding her already fragile self-image.

"I was producing more male hormones than female. I had facial hair, sideburns ... you name it," the 41-year-old woman said.

"I was of the belief that I was ugly, and I was fat because my face was really fat at that time," she added.

For a long time, Green lived quietly with those feelings, until one moment of self-reflection shifted her outlook.

"One day, I look in the mirror and say to miself, 'You know you better than this? No matter what people say, you are better'. And from that day, I dress up, and I show up."

A social worker by profession, Green has been "showing up" ever since -- not only in her everyday life, but online. Through TikTok, she began sharing snippets of her journey, often alongside her four-year-old daughter, whom she is determined to raise with confidence and self-worth.

"Every morning I give her affirmation. I said, 'You are bold, you are beautiful, you are strong, you are smart and you are blessed'. And I said to her every day."

But the visibility also brought cruelty. What Green described as a light-hearted TikTok post recently spiralled into a wave of online abuse, with strangers directing vicious comments at both her and her child, largely centred on their weight.

Initially stunned by the venom, Green said she tried to defend herself.

"I was answering them but then the Spirit said, 'The battle is not yours' and I stopped responding," she said.

While the attacks did not break her, seeing her young daughter targeted cut deeply.

"They can say anything they want about me because I care zero, but for the baby, I felt hurt for her," Green said. "Mi a look at her and a seh this is not something that she choose for her life. She did not choose to be fat."

As for the insults aimed directly at her, Green remains unmoved.

"God knows my story. I don't need to tell TikTok and the public what I'm going through that is causing me to gain weight...I know my story and I'm quite happy," she said.

She is also quick to shut down assumptions about her child's health, stressing that her daughter is healthy and that she pays close attention to the food in her home. And despite the backlash, Green is adamant that she will not be silenced.

"They could 'tear dung' from now til tomorrow, I'm not going to stop posting me and my daughter," said Green, explaining that she uses TikTok as a platform to uplift and encourage others.

Her advice to those facing body shaming is straightforward and deeply personal.

"First of all, you have to, you have to accept reality .You have to love yourself first."

"If you let people get in your head with their negativity you will always be complaining, stressing and end up not wanting to be here."

And when it comes to children, Green has a final, urgent plea for the public.

"Things we say to children can follow them for the rest of their lives and have very traumatic repercussions. They have the tools and the knowledge that can cause further harm to themselves if you initiate it," she warned.