“Hey, Rose. Please tell your followers to stop it,” read the message. It was one among the many @badkarmateller25 had sent her. She looked at it. Three dots…nothing. Three dots…nothing. The user on the other end felt crushed. They were hoping to have a conversation with Rose. They hoped to convince Rose to help them.
Rose had finally gotten the courage to get back online after a two-month break. Children can be mean, and Rose knew that all too well throughout her childhood. She was a chubby girl, and every so often, mean kids bullied her. Somehow, she got through school, but the comments hit her deep.
Then social media happened, and there was a wave of body positivity. More people whose bodies didn’t conform to prevailing beauty standards started speaking up. Rose watched them quietly at first, but they were her heroines and heroes.
Rose, like so many other people, started to see people like her. They were confident and loved themselves as they were. Their voices started drowning out the bullying comments that she’d heard most of her life. Gradually, Rose came out of her shell. She also started healthy living habits as she embraced her body.
As this change was underway, Rose decided to document it as well. At first, she joined communities where she could remain anonymous, but she gathered the courage to share her journey. It didn’t happen overnight, but she got a couple of hundred followers. She wasn’t trying to be an influencer; she just wanted to share her journey and build a small community that understood it.
Her posts started getting traction. There were also more DMs for her to respond to. Most of them were of girls or women who’d had similar experiences. Some thanked her for sharing with them and encouraging them. Others gave her more tips on how to navigate it. She wasn’t looking to be skinny, just healthier. Her posts sparked related conversations about clothes shopping, handling bullies, navigating friendships and relationships, and every other topic relevant to her community.
There was so much positivity, but the trolls found their way there. It started with a few negative comments, and then they became frequent. There was one username that kept coming up in those kinds of comments.
The username called her all sorts of slurs. When some of the people in the comment section tried to defend Rose, the user sent her even meaner DMs. Some threatened her with violence. It was like the bullies at school all over again, but this was meaner and more vicious.
Rose felt like she was in real danger. She stopped sharing posts that had elements that could be used to track her location. Insecurities crept in again, and all the progress she’d made suffered a setback. She started recoiling.
The user didn’t stop and only got more consistent. Rose blamed herself for choosing to share her journey on social media. Other trolls supported the user, and it only got worse for Rose. Then she had an accident and fractured her ankle.
The injury contributed to her being the heaviest she’d ever been. Between the online bullying and the setbacks, she was tired. Rose decided to end it all. Her younger sister found her passed out and called out for help from her parents.
She woke in a hospital. They pumped out what she’d ingested, and she had to see a mental health practitioner. She was told to put aside social media for a while as they worked towards her recovery. The break from the bullying and the professional help improved her mental wellbeing. She also liked the challenge from physical therapy, and she was doing better physically.
This went on for weeks. Once she was stronger, she was convinced she needed to share this part of her journey with others. “I’m sure so many other women have been bullied for just being themselves,” she said.
Rose took her camera and narrated her ordeal. The story went viral. The positive comments were the majority, but it also attracted trolls. However, as she told her story, some of her followers identified the username that had been harassing her from the comments on previous posts. Another follower took it upon themselves to uncover the user’s identity.
The username was @badkarmateller25. Spontaneously, the war had changed sides. Hundreds of followers attacked @badkarmateller25. They also found out his real identity and where he worked. His walls started closing in on him.
He was now begging Rose to help him by asking her followers to leave her alone. His workplace had put him on extended leave pending investigations. He’d been advised to settle the matter with Rose, as that would help him soften the consequences.
He tried reaching out to Rose through other banner accounts, but she hadn’t replied, so he had revived his original account, assuming Rose had ignored him because she hadn’t known that it was him. Rose continued to ignore him as she watched him deal with the consequences of his actions. Hopefully, it taught other online bullies a lesson.
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