InstagramBritish model, Iskra Lawrence, has expressed her horror at an online troll who sent her a death threat while dressed as a clown.
Iskra videoed her reaction to the video, showing the man eerily saying ‘I will kill you’, for BBC West Midlands’ Inside Out programme.
Her dad, who usually protects her from trolls, revealed the sinister online abuse he’s been hiding from her, during filming.
Video courtesy of BBC Inside Out West Midlands.
Miss Lawrence, from Kidderminster, has long been the subject of internet trolling.
Speaking to UNILAD, she said:
I receive abuse daily – but only from men or private faceless profiles. Usually calling me fat or a cow or worse I receive sexist comments that I should shut up (because I tend to write captions to spread a positive idea or educational body image practices) or turn around. Those are vile. I post because I’m grateful to have a platform for positive change.
Her parents were terrified and had originally kept the video from her, but when her dad showed her, she was “so shocked and scared to think what if these people know where I live or could follow me home one day.”
Instagram @iamiskraIskra regularly receives abuse and has a routine of block, report and delete. Sometimes, however, comments are so ridiculous that they need to be ripped to shreds.
She told us about one in particular:
There was that one time I decided to make an example of a comment that was so ridiculous that I made a comical reply by stuffing my face with crisps and giving the troll the finger. I always try to make something negative into something positive – don’t let them win or hurt you.
They leave you wondering why these people would chose to target you – what did I ever do to them. I am know scared to post where I am or what I’m doing. I don’t want to Geo tag my location ever again because I have no idea who these sick people could be.
She said that the responsibility lies with social media platforms who currently aren’t doing enough:
My dad reported the video and receives notification back from Facebook that it was no a threat to the community or harassment – are you kidding me?! They need to take responsibility.
Iskra is a pioneer for body positivity, avoiding any retouching of photos, and not long ago, she reassured the world about the infamous ‘thigh gap’, showing how easy it is to pretend to have one in photos.
In the caption, she wrote:
I’ll be the first one to tell you pics are all about good lightening and angles. Always remember social medias not real life never let anyone else’s pics make you feel insecure about yourself.
The episode airs on BBC One tonight at 7.30pm where you can see the troll video in full and Iskra’s insight into the effects of cyber-bullying.
