Louisa Manning Stood Up to Her Past Bully and the Results Are Empowering

Updated on 12/9/2014 at 3:29 PM

Louisa Manning just accomplished what anyone who has ever been bullied dreams of accomplishing — not so much revenge against one's bullies, but restitution. Here's how her story goes: Now a 22-year-old college student at Oxford University, Louisa was once an eighth grader who was heavily made fun of by her peers. They called her "manbeast" and incessantly poked fun at her body hair and weight, so much so that she ended up developing an eating disorder and became fixated on her appearance.

Recently, one of her aforementioned bullies asked her out on a date. Instead of declining the invitation, she took it as an opportunity to remind the guy of his past behavior. She didn't meet him for dinner as he had anticipated, but instead left this photo/note waiting for him at the restaurant.

Here's what it said:

"Hey [Name],

So sorry I can't join you tonight. Remember year 8, when I was fat and you made fun of my weight? No? I do — I spent the following three years eating less than an apple a day. So I've decided to skip dinner.

Remember the monobrow you mocked? The hairy legs you were disgusted by? Remember how every day for three years, you and your friends called me manbeast? No, perhaps you don't — or you wouldn't have seen how I look eight years later and deemed me f*ckable enough to treat me like a human being. I thought I'd send you this as a reminder. Next time you think of me, picture the girl in this photo, because she's the one who just stood you up."

Has there ever been a more apt "take that" moment? According to Buzzfeed, the unnamed bully sent Manning an apology, which she felt was about 10 years too late, but still "amazing" to receive nonetheless. Source: Facebook user Louisa Manning