Page 7 - IAV Digital Magazine #482

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
She Was Told To Stop Posting Photos ’Cause She’s “Too Ugly”, She Slams Back Masterfully
By Oziga
An American woman who was told online to stop posting pictures of herself because she’s “too ugly” has slammed back masterfully. Melissa Blake served the trolls without hesitation and was immedi- ately overloaded with statements of support. Her number of follow- ers on Twitter tripled in just two
days, to more than 43,000.
The woman from the American state of Illinois suffers from Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, a con- genital disorder that affects face and limbs. Typical are the small mouths – which can make breath- ing, swallowing and speaking awkward – the corners of the eye pointing down and the fin-
gers and toes contracted. The disorder usually does not influ- ence intelligence.
Melissa – a blog- ger and freelance journalist who has already worked for CNN and Cosmopolitan – is commented on social media reg- ularly on how she looks, but that had no compari- son with what she got when she wrote an opinion piece about
President Trump earlier this month, in which she criti- cized him. The result was a mas- sive amount of online dredging, and it didn’t focus on what she had written, but on her appearance.
She was called “thick”, “ugly” and “a potato head”. “This is a perfect example of a land whale,” it sound- ed. And also: “Is that photo real?”
Melissa did not let it pass but served her criti- casters a reply. “During the last round of trollgate, people said that I should be banned from posting pho- tos of myself because I’m too ugly,” she tweet- ed. “So I’d just like to commemo- rate the occasion with these 3 self- ies.” In which she posted three pho-
tos of herself.
Her post went viral in no time. Two days later, almost a quarter of a million peo- ple already liked it and nearly 20,000 Twitterers shared the post. Her number of followers went from 7,500 to 43,000. “Thanks, friends,” she said. “I am speechless, and that is some- thing that does not happen often.”
The woman was also over- whelmed by the statements of support and the messages from Twitterers who wanted to comfort her. “Your smile is like the sun on a rainy day, dar- ling,” it sounded. But also: “I am sorry that people are so mean to you. They are the ugly ones.” And
“Every troll and bully is ugly. You are beautiful. Don’t listen to them.”
It turned out to be a heart, and therefore it does not look like the trolls will get Melissa under it. Shortly after the insults started to come, she already showed that she would never let herself be done. “Yes, due to my disabil- ity, I look differ- ent. Trust me; I know that. I’ve known that all my life. Tonight I will go to bed a bit frustrated because this is now our reality. But tomorrow I will get up again, and I will continue the fight for change. Because this cannot be our future, please let us be better than this.”
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine