Two former Beauty and the Geek stars have shot back at their online trolls.
Sophie Taylor and Aimee Woolley revealed to New Idea that several cast members have received hate online, some bullies even using ableist language to attack them.
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“I had one tweet and it said ‘is Sophie from Beauty and the Geek special needs?’” Sophie said.
“I know other cast members have really horrible stuff said about them and it just breaks my heart because none of us deserve [that].”
Recently eliminated beauty Aimee Woolley said she’s received a lot of hate from her own community in Tasmania.
“There have been some really nasty comments from Tasmanians, about 800 negative comments about me,” she said.
“People are just so jaded down here and their own lives. They don’t like change and they don’t like seeing their own on TV.”
After participating in an interview with Tasmanian radio station Pulse Hobart, Aimee was hit with a slew of hate comments attacking everything from her looks to her iconic laugh.
While Aimee can bat away most of the comments (“any publicity’s good publicity I say,” she joked) it hasn’t stopped her from calling out her trolls directly on Instagram.
“I have always been bullied my whole life for either the way I look (my biggest insecurity being my nose) or my personality. Behind all the masking, I am still a person that has feelings,” she wrote.
The self described “former geek” hinted that the bullies had picked on her regarding her intelligence and her appearance.
“I was once a geek myself but what defines a geek? Is it the way they look or present themselves? Is it because they’re smart?
“What does define a beauty is someone that’s beautiful. Everyone is beautiful from within, it’s not just your stereotype and people are wrong to think that way, so before you put someone down and say nasty words, think before you speak. Words do hurt.”
Even Channel Nine has had to call out fans on their own Facebook page, posting asking fans to “think before you comment”.
Nine and production company Endemol Shine do provide cast members with counselling and social media management to mitigate some of the impacts from angry fans.
“All participants have access to the show psychologist during filming, during broadcast and once the program has ended,” a spokesperson for Nine told New Idea.
“Nine also have an additional service for participants should they like or need further individual and confidential psychological support. This service gives participants access to clinicians who have been specifically engaged to support those involved in the program in relation to their experiences. This service is available to all participants for as long as they need it, it does not end”.
It’s great that participants get support, but at the end of the day it’s the trolls that are the problem and Sophie had a stern message for them.
“I would just say to the viewers, remember that the people on the show, we’re real people. We see what you say about us.
“We’re more than just characters on TV, we’re real people with real feelings.”
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