Hey there SG.....
Man it feels like it's been forever since I wrote a blog.....I'll be honest....I haven't been busy per say.....Just playing Call of Duty haha. Trying to get all those prestige levels!! GAHHH!
Anyways, I wanted to address something that I feel is important to many of us, especially us girls (not just SG but in general). I'll use SG as the example since that's where it's affected me most or where I've seen it first hand. The "it" I'm referring to is the hate on the social media towards girls. There is so much of it. For me, it doesn't bother me. Those folks are just pixels on a screen to me and I know nothing about them...heck, most of them are fake profiles anyhow...so they don't even exist in my reality. But to some girls, it does affect them. They take every comment to heart. Some of these girls have struggled with weight issues, mental issues, they may be depressed or going through a hard personal time....and that one comment of "ew, she's gross" could just be the one comment that pushes them over the edge. I have had a friend commit suicide over cyber bullying from strangers....she was gorgeous, a model, and had everything going for her and yet everyday she saw those mean comments, it ate at her and eventually they got her. Some people will say she was weak because words don't hurt, but the truth is....they do. She was not weak but she had had enough.
I've had nothing but a positive experience with SG. Yes, I have had my fair share of negative comments on social media (and honestly, not on my own page because I police it and block those folks or delete the comments...but on the public forum media like the SG instagram, facebook or even on other peoples who take my photos and post them on their pages to promote). We can't leave it to SG staff to delete these comments, they are already working 24/7 to bring awesome photos to those social media sites and picking which ones will be featured. It's a lot of work to even ask them police the comments. That is why, as a community, we need to do it for them. I don't mean arguing with the person who posted the comment but saying things like "Ignore the negative comments, you look great" That one comment could be the saving grace for someone. Addressing the negative comments in a positive way....a girl seeing that someone out there is sticking up for her....that could be the time you save her life....and you probably would never know it.
It saddens me to hear when a girl is not having a positive experience in SG...whether they have been an SG for years or are a new hopeful. SG is a big part of my life, I spend a lot of time on the site, on social media promoting the site and even in my daily life I wear merch to promote. I am loyal to SG and love the community. While I consider it a second job for me, it's also a fun place for me to be. The members make it an awesome place. I couldn't fathom someone not being happy here....especially one of the girls. Most of this comes from the social media. I've read numerous blogs recently and have talked to some of the girls lately where they are considering quitting because of the hate. It makes me so sad!! I try to encourage them to ignore it but honestly, it is a very hard thing to do.
Take this photo for example.....it was posted on the SG instagram a few days (Thank you SG for the feature btw, I was stoked!!)
I am using myself for an example because I can only speak on my own experiences, I won't talk for other girls.
There were about 600 comments on the picture, I'll say about 30-40 negative ones....here's a few that seem to be the worst of the worst
"Ew, she's so basic" "It might be the way she's standing but it looks like she's tucking a dick between her legs" "She must've lost her glasses" "She needs to open her eyes" "You can tell she doesn't work out " "My body is better than that" "Ew, put that away" "That thing is gross" "It doesn't have anything to look at"
People resorted to calling me "it" "thing" "that"....I wasn't even a person anymore. This is the type of hate that is disgusting and uncalled for. This is the type of hate that girls have to deal with on a daily basis when trying to promote themselves or promote confidence in themselves.
As a community, I am asking you, if you see this type of hate on the social media pages...please STICK UP FOR THEM! The people saying these things have no idea what SG stands for or what the community means....we need to show them. And not in a rude way, there are plenty of productive ways to do it without attacking anyone. Don't fight hate with hate. And yes, I realize this is a lot to ask because haters will hate and the internet gives people huge balls to say whatever the hell they want...these folks will be everywhere....but we can make a strong stand against them.
Thank you
xoxo
Mara
