One
sunny Spring morning, whilst pregnant I took a stroll down at the beach. I was alone. I was enjoying the morning. The beach was busy with the usual local crowds on their early morning walks and swims. It was life as I knew it, and liked it.
From out of nowhere a car full of men boys started hurling abuse at me: Fat pig. Oink. Oink. Bacon. You’re a fat pig. It kept continuing as I quickly tried to move away from them.
I was so upset. It was only just past 7am and it was the last thing I expected. I cried. I sobbed. I kept walking.
I walked as fast as my pregnant body would take me home. I thanked the lord {Marc Jacobs} for big sunglasses that hid my tear soaked face.
I got home and called Hubby. I could barely speak. The words wouldn’t come out fast enough. Pregnant hormones and being upset don’t really go well together. Eventually I told him what happened and he was mad. But he was at work and could do nothing.
I then called my Big Sis. I’ve spoken in the past about my Big Sis. She’s my personal cheerleader. She’ll stand up for me when everyone else is sitting down. So of course she was mad. Mad that I didn’t tell her earlier. At the time she lived right near the beach and could have unleashed war on the boys. But it was too late. They were probably gone.
I’ve never forgotten those boys.
I love where we live during Winter, and Autumn. People are done with the beach and it gets left to the locals, especially during the week. Sometimes there will be a bus load of Japanese tourists that arrive, walk to the water, take some photos and then return to their bus.
Of course people still visit. There are backpackers drifting through, and people on the weekends, but not in the numbers that come during the hotter months.
There has been much debate of late regarding Bondi Beach. The council has upped parking fees to try and deter visitors {and probably to raise revenue}. It’s become an East versus West debate.
I have many, many friends who live in all parts of Sydney, as well as in the West. I want them to come and enjoy the beach. It’s not our beach. We don’t own it {although with rates and such we might as well}.
We just want everyone to respect it, and us. It breaks my heart as I walk early on Monday mornings to see so much rubbish left everywhere. Dirty nappies, drink bottles, cigarette butts, food containers.
Nobody can tell who is leaving the rubbish and being disrespectful. It could be locals. It could be visitors. All I know is that we are left with the mess, and the job of cleaning it all up.
I don’t know what the point of my post is really. I guess if you come to Bondi please put your rubbish in the bin. It’s not that hard really. And if you see me walking, please refrain from hurling abuse. Fat people have feelings too. xx
Image: Cybele
dumb tools.
love ya sis. xoxo
Rubbish and litter make me so upset. We have our own form of disrespect in my street. I live in the only block of flats in our otherwise quiet little street full of Federation houses. People think because we're in flats that they can just dump all their unwanted junk outside our unit and the coucil isn't going to find out who to fine. We often don't get our bins emptied on collection day because we have garbage in our recycling bins. Sometimes after parties in the street we can't even put our rubbish in the bins because locals have used ours since theirs is full. It's so unfair to have to clean someone else's rubbish out of your recycling bin because of someone elses rudeness. Some can't even be bothered putting it in the bins, just leave their box full of empties in the driveway grrrrr
It's all about respect, and I'm sorry that people don't have that respect in Bondi. It's such a beautiful place. I promise to throw my rubbish in the proper bins when I visit!
OMG, Telle! That's disgusting. I can't believe anybody could be so cruel *scowl*
I'm going to echo your sister – what dumb tools!
xx
F-wits.
I know what you mean about Bondi – I grew up in Manly and we never ventured out in town if we could help it on weekends, especially in summer (well evenings we did but not in the day!) the terrorists, um I mean TOURISTS would take over our little village and leave the deluge behind. It also jacked up the prices of things too which was annoying.
But that's the jig when you live near something so well known for being beautiful and idyllic.
Today we needed to get a few things from the supermarket and hopped onto MonaVale Road for the 7kms we needed to and it took bloody 30 minutes because of the upper north shore ppl going to Mona Vale Beach.. meh.
PS: Loved the comment about Marc Jacobs 🙂
Hey Telle, for what it's worth, what they said really honestly speaks volumes about them, and not about you.. they're losers, pure and simple, and they may be enormously emotionally retarded, and there is a real possibility that nobody has ever loved them (I just did 6 weeks of psychiatry in my medical training)… if that helps.. the fact the they said that really doesn't mean that you're fat (you're absolutely stunning) it just means they're undeveloped, retarded humans.. .and I for one wish they would go away from your beautiful beach and leave nice people like you alone.
Massive hugs
Ronnie xo
i don't get some people – who LIKES hurting others? And what do they gain out of it? So stupid.
As for Bondi… I appreciate it as a symbol of Australian culture and all and yes, it's beautiful but I never go there if I can help it. Mostly because I live decades away but even when I lived in Sydney, I steered clear. To me the point of going to a beach or out for the day is to relax and enjoy yourself and I am on edge every time I go there, whether it's to the beach, to a shoot, to the shopping centre. I'm not sure why, maybe because it's all too crazy busy, so much traffic getting there – whatever it is, I'm very much out of my comfort zone. I should probably be a hermit!
x
ok I get how we can be so pissed about the lack of respect for the beach.
THE LACK OF RESPECT for a pregnant beauty is what gets me. There is a huge decline in the lack of respect for each other as human beings let alone our land.
It makes me so sad that they shouted those ignorant words to you. Been there as well though. Walking as fast as possible so no one can se the tears falling!
Tools is right.
sending a HUG and a SMILE to you Chick a Dee. xox
It happened to me too. I was at my local- Manly beach – and walking through the markets there one Sunday with my baby girl and some idiot guy muttered under his breath “come back to my stall fat arse”, and I turned around and he was talking about me. It is so hurtful.
Disrespect sucks, no matter what form.
The same thing happened to me when I was preggers – It was a hot yucky day thats all I needed. It was a busy street and they pointed me out by the colour of my top and told me to “keep walking fatty” everyone turned to look at me and I burst into tears mortified. Idiots – Now I look at my daughter and think every kilo was worth it a million times over 🙂 Forget about them – they're not worth it.
Bastards. I'm so sorry that happened to you. How horrible.
@Sis: Exactly!
@Deborah-Lee: I totally understand. We have rubbish issues here too. Your neighbours are lucky to have you, such a considerate and caring neighbour.
@Kahlee: Thanks lovely. xx
@Liss: Us too. We camp out on the weekends too. We have a all our supploes so that we don't have to leave home!
@Ronnie: Kinder words never spoken. Thank you so so somuch. xx
@Belinda: I was the same before I lived here. My sister tried to convince me to move to Bondi and I couldn't have said no faster. All the people? The cars? Pfft. No way. But when Hubby asked me. Different story! 🙂
@Jumping off the binge wagon: I agree. I know for sure that they don't have children. It's not human to be so cruel.
@Hayley: What a loser-tron! Grrr. Gets me so fired up. And you're hot too. That dude has no idea!
@lulufrou: I agree. Everything my body endured is so worth it, a million times over. x
@Cristy: Thank you. xx
i am so furious… how dare someone treat another person like that! especially my friend… i wish someone could have given them a piece of their mind but you know how karma works – it will catch up with them!
as for bondi… i do love it in the cooler months too. when we lived there we stayed well clear of it on the weekends cause it just gets too crowded and people are exactly how you described them! i LOVE nth bondi and i miss it something terrible at the moment… i sure do appreciate its beauty and its a shame you can tell the locals apart from the visitors.
dont you just find we have a whole generation of youth who take everything for granted and lack respect in general? what to do so audrey and lacey dont turn out like that??? that would be my worst nightmare! r x
oh my chelle. u have hit me and i can't get up. i am shocked and saddened by that verbal abuse. i really am 🙁
I can too relate to this. We used to live on the Beach in Melbourne. Williamstown….Its such a beautiful place…when it's not full of doof doof idiots hanging wheelies and hurling crap everywhere. They come from a couple of burbs away.
It can get bad on hot summer Saturday nights.
Really spoils the gorgeous atmosphere. Didnt happen everyweek but enough for the council to put in speed humps..
For what it's worth, even tho Ive never met you, just by reading your blog I think you're a beautiful person! 🙂
That is so mean. I would have cried too. I can't believe how mean people can be! xoxo
@Rowe: I know. We have to somehow make sure our girls are little more respectful or people, and nature. I don't know we do that either.
@Jessi: Thanks lovely. x
@inner hippy mumma: Speed humps are a great idea. Although the traffic is so bumper to bumper around here it might not make a difference. 😛 Thank you for your kind words. x
@Beth Dunn: I know. I don't get how some people are wired! Grr.
stupid stupid boys
you know that ad about speeding, and how the onlookers put up their little pinky as if to say they're making up for shortcomings? well, that's what those BOYS were doing – trying to be cool in front of their mates. it's disgusting, Chantelle and i'm very sorry you came across little boys with nothing better to do than to make a beautiful woman cry.
when we used to live in city, my favourite thing to do on my days off is to go down to Bondi and just walk. now that we live further out and have kids, taking the car is inevitable – so i fear that street parking is just going to get worse for everyone.
and yep, i don't understand why/how people can litter and feel okay about it. ew.
What those immature idiots did/said to you was mean. But be thankful that you're white. Otherwise you'd also get idiotic racist remarks and screamed at to'go back to your own country' (which is hilarious when you've been in the country longer than the person yelling at you has) and it's not like one can actually change the colour of their skin…
I don't understand the appeal of Bondi beach, when Sydney has what – 20 other beaches? Not saying it's not a good beach but I'd never go there for all the reasons you listed. It's not like people don't have a choice of where to go…
ASSHOLES!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot even express my disgust at those insignificant piece of trash people. Their mothers and sisters would have been so ashamed of them.
The thing that occurred to me is that I have experienced such scarring things before (always at the hands of cruel boys… and the odd bitchy girl), but that not once since being the USA have I seen such a thing. Perhaps it is Seattle. People are just lovely here. But when I go home I am always finding that what I dislike most about Aussies is that bogan jerk drunk superficial vibe of some individuals. What I love is that there are even MORE Aussies that would rip into them given the chance if they witnessed such behaviour.
You are beautiful. Inside and out. I hope you know it. 🙂
Fucking. Arseholes.
This post made my blood boil, wow. I wish I was there, Chantelle. I would have punched them and you KNOW I'm not joking.
And the anon comment above can suck it, too.