Athlete Responds Perfectly to Trolls Who Body-Shamed Her Online
People need to understand this is real; that it's real violence with real impacts. And sometimes it moves from online to offline.
Online trolls can turn even a happy moment into a target, and Lindsey Vonn just showed how ugly that can get. The retired skiing star has been dealing with body-shaming comments, and she says the criticism has taken a real toll on her confidence.
Instead of staying quiet, Vonn answered the noise with bikini photos from her 36th birthday getaway. Her caption acknowledged that the comments can hurt and that the experience feels scarier than it looks from the outside.
The post quickly drew huge attention, and plenty of people were glad she spoke up. Here's how the reaction unfolded.
Lindsey's story is just one of far too many in today's society. It's an example of the amount of online abuse and violence that exists.
Online bullying has only worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the world, particularly violence against women.
Online violence is a public health issue, and the effects are very detrimental. It results in physical, sexual, psychological, or economic harm and erodes self-esteem, says journalist and specialist in gender digital safety, Cecilia Mwende Maundu.
First, we need public awareness. Even when I talk to my friends, many of them say online violence is no big deal, Cecilia continued.
People need to understand this is real; that it's real violence with real impacts. And sometimes it moves from online to offline.
Well done to Lindsey for taking a stand! Let's all do the same and stand up to these parasitic trolls!
Lindsey Vonn
Here's how people reacted.
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