Remember netizens’ favorite punchline Xander Ford?
The guy everyone loved to hate has resurfaced via an interview with the television show Pareng Partners, broadcast on Saturday. Interviewed on the topic of the effect of social media bashing, he shared that he decided to go back to school because of his critics.
“I hear people tell me, ‘You’re stupid. Study first before you aim to be famous.’ So I studied,” he said.
He remains hopeful that he could still have a showbiz career and is proud to say he works out at a gym in preparation for a real comeback. “In case the Lord knocks on my door, I still have something to show people,” he said.
Still, Ford, whose real name is Marlou Arizala, acknowledged that his life is somewhat similar to the popular “Expectation vs Reality” meme.
He said: “Marlou is reality. Xander is only an expectation.”
Guess he learned to mature over time?
Ford first went viral as part of the parody boy band Hasht5. Many made fun of him for his looks but he made headlines last year after undergoing multiple plastic surgeries to change his looks.
When asked why he went under the knife, he said he did it to gain the public’s respect. However, he quickly found that it wasn’t going to be easy.
“But people really are like that,” he said. “If they hate you, they will [continue] to hate you. If they like you, they will [always] like you.”
Apart from his appearance, he was frequently attacked by his critics who think he’s full of himself. He’s also said some controversial comments, including the time when he said actress Kathryn Bernardo is bow-legged. Naturally, he was attacked by her fans for body-shaming her.
After surgery in October last year, he had a very public unveiling of his new look by appearing on television show Rated K. His management also posted his before and after photos on Facebook.
He even went missing once, a disappearance many think was a PR stunt.
Ford has gone back to becoming more active on social media.
And despite being more mellow now, his critics — yes, the ones that pushed the then 20-year-old to drastically alter his appearance — are still after him.
On his Instagram, he posted a photo with the caption: “You can see me, but you can’t talk to me.” To which a user named @queen_hanna_pascua replied: “You think people will still talk to you but you’re so ugly. You just look good because of editing [laughing emojis]. B*tch.”
User @m_isabellee wrote: “That’s too much filter.” While @renzowowow only had one word to say to Ford: “Ugly.”
Meanwhile, @ric_stark called Ford a has-been. He wrote: “Because you’re so full of yourself.”
Guess there’s just no pleasing them.
Reader Interactions