The world can sometimes be bitterly cruel.
Although we are taught never to judge a book on its cover, and beauty is only a superficial issue, many people are still subject to severe harassment because of their appearance alone.
Journalist and writer Melissa Blake is aware of all this. Her essays on disability, relationships and pop culture have informed and inspired people around the world, and yet she always receives insults from bullies who do not like her appearance.
Melissa, 38, was forced to bear to be compared to a “globe fish” and a “potato with a face”.
Fortunately, she had the perfect way to retaliate against these people.
Melissa Blake was born with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, a disease caused by a mutation in the gene responsible for the displacement of substances between cells during development. During her life, she had to undergo about 25 surgeries, and she also travels in a wheelchair.
A common symptom of Freeman-Sheldon syndrome is an alteration in the appearance of the face, with characteristics such as a smaller and “pinched” mouth and a decrease in the cartilage of the nose.
In Melissa’s case, this differentiation from “the standard” has led to horrible online abuse. On September 8, she went to Twitter to talk about the despicable comments she received. One person compared it to a “globe fish”, another to a “potato”. A commentator even went so far as to suggest that it should be banned from the platform because it is too “uly”.
“People wonder why I have struggled so much with self-acceptance when it comes to my appearance and the notion that our society is about what “beauty” is. It’s because of comments like these – comments that reject me and consider me unworthy, “explained Melissa.
“[…] This is just one more example of the type of capacity that people with disabilities face every day and it is something I am constantly trying to change. »
Not letting her executioners shoot her down, Melissa had the perfect answer to those who told her that she should refrain from downloading photos: she uploaded others.
“During the last round of trollgate, people said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I am too ugly. I would like to commemorate the occasion with these 3 selfies…”
His tweet in response to the trolls certainly had the desired effect. Since then, he has been liked 272,000 times on Twitter, with fans couring Melissa’s courage and strength of character.
In addition, Melissa’s work is more popular than ever – those who wanted to shoot her down have indeed failed!
Bullying has no place in modern society, and it makes me sick to think of the cowards who hide behind their computer screen and torment others simply to cover their own shortcomings and insecurities.
Melissa Blake, you are a real inspiration. We wish you all the best to move forward.
If you are proud of Melissa, share this article on Facebook.
