One journalist, widely recognized for her advocacy of fat liberation and racial justice, woke up one day to a very different and disturbing kind of message. After waking up, she spent the first half hour of her day in bed, clearing notifications from various social media apps when she stumbled upon a troll in her Instagram message requests.
The anonymous message, which was sent at 4 a.m., read, “Your actually disgusting and you shouldn’t be promoting morbid obesity.” The account that transmitted the message had no profile picture. In fact, its username was purposely misleading enough to have fooled the subject. As it turned out upon closer inspection, the troll only followed one other account. This user, a young man near her own age, had dozens of mutual friends in common with her.
This unusual arrest and sit in marks a culmination of the journalist’s ten year long fight. Online, she’s been an uncompromising advocate for body positivity and fat liberation since her early days on Tumblr. Having faced several hundred such accounts with vitriol before, this murder message hit a nerve. The subject had long been an advocate of self-acceptance and body positivity, fighting for those cast aside by society’s narrow definitions of beauty.
As she noted in her response to the trolling incident earlier this week, particularly with women of color, they treat us like animals.
“Stop pretending you love your body because your too lazy to diet or exercise.”
This comment serves as an example of the toxic body image and health stigma that still runs rampant across social media today. This public outreach is indicative of the journalist’s passion for addressing these pressing issues and has made her a social media sensation. Her contentious views have equally invited hostile attack from critics who’ve come to dislike her.
Historically, as she pointed out, she was subjected to racist, sexist, and other discriminatory attacks by trolls hiding behind anonymous accounts. This particular experience felt different. The timing of the message couldn’t have been more inopportune, but the substance of the message was frightening. It ruined what might have been a beautiful start to her day.
The journalist’s first-hand account serves as an important reminder of how social media can inflate harassment and vitriol. This includes people who buck the so-called traditional narratives on body positivity. It raises important questions about who should be held accountable and responsible for violent, misogynistic threats made online.