Melissa Gibson/InstagramWhile technology forges forwards at the speed of light, unfortunately, it appears attitudes of some people online are heading in the opposite direction, i.e trolls.
Melissa Gibson, pictured above, uses Instagram to raise awareness on issues like body positivity, while others use the comments function to air their insecurities, sense of entitlement and cast judgments on to all those who don’t fall into their narrow world view.
So when Melissa, a blogger, posted a photo with her boyfriend on New Year’s Eve, it was a bit too much for some to understand – a photo of a woman and a man sharing a kiss, really?
One commenter wrote:
Go to the gym and eat better you fat person, like you are DYING I’d rather be smoking than be your size.
Another suggested she didn’t deserve her boyfriend because of the difference in their body size or that he’s living out some kind of fat fetish.
Melissa felt she had to respond, which she did with another picture alongside a caption encapsulating the love of her relationship and the idiocy of the haters all in one go.
She wrote:
When taking a picture in a sparkly dress next to the man you love makes people comment about your body, question your relationship, make judgements about him for loving you. Our relationship is political. Even though we both know how natural and right it feels.
And if the world won’t just let us be, we will keep fighting for our love, for our space, for our right to be seen, accepted without question, and celebrated.
In all honesty it’s silly to think it bothers people so much, but when privileged people base their value on attraction and relationships, it results in the plethora of relationships that look like mine being erased and delegitimized.
Like somehow I don’t deserve him or our love isn’t real.
Her post continued:
We are exactly what each other wants, and guess what, our bodies are a part of that. It’s not abnormal or a fetish. It’s simply natural.
So while you insist on yelling your insecurities and bigotry at me, realize I’m not playing the game you play any longer. I’m not playing by your rules and it’s honestly sad you still are.
2018 is the year for Love that is not defined by weight, age, ability, genitals, gender, sexuality. Not defined by race or ethnicity or religion.
We’re having more fun this way anyway ;). #love #bf #relationshipgoals#fatbabe #visiblewomen #louisville#newyearseve #2018 #nye #debshops
Melissa told cafemom:
The reality is that attraction does not simply belong to thin people, and to deny that is denying the real, beautiful love that exists between so many so-called mismatched couples.
Beauty is not so narrowly defined and really if you believe it is, you are the ones missing out.
Her inbox was flooded with messages of support from other ‘mismatched couples’, including one that simply wrote: ‘F*ck the haters’ and a married couple whose relationship ‘apparently makes people made’.
She said:
Johnathan and I recognise our relationship is political, but for us, it just feels right and makes sense.
Sadly there are plenty of people online who can’t make sense of love.
Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.