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'The Bachelor' Australia's Abbie Chatfield Claps Back At Body Shamers Calling Her 'Flabby Abbie'

"It gets exhausting and I just want it to stop" - by Diandra Malivindi
  • 07 Sep 2020
'The Bachelor' Australia's Abbie Chatfield Claps Back At Body Shamers Calling Her 'Flabby Abbie'

The Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise Australia alum Abbie Chatfield has taken to Instagram to hit back at multiple anonymous body-shaming online trolls, particularly one who—disgustingly—called her "Flabby Abbie".

Sharing an Instagram post on September 6, Chatfield showed an array of screenshots that showed the awful comments that she receives about her body. The comments range from calling her "fat" to "pathetic", even accusing her of "pretending to exercise".

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It's been over a year of being in the media to a certain degree and comments like these only get a tiiiiny bit easier. Yes, they're laughable. Yes, our value doesn't come from our weight and yes, being "fat" shouldn't even be a bad word BUT it still sucks. It gets exhausting and I just want it to stop. I want it to stop for me, but also for people who read these comments and think it's the norm. Speaking about women as objects, analysing their weight and saying you would "take them for a ride" is especially repugnant. Saying all I need to do is stay the "correct" weight is... fucked? It implies that to have worth I need to stay thin, and that my value exists only when I fit into a standard of beauty that is not realistic. Right now I have put on weight (hellllooooooo uber eats for every meal for 2 weeks) and tbh am struggling to look in the mirror naked, throwing on a towel before I have chance to see myself, I feel like we've all been there? I'm actively trying to not suck my stomach in constantly because my lower back pain is out of control from trying to contort my body 24/7 to be more "appealing". Seeing comments like this about my body constantly just make me feel defeated. It isn't fair that this is the societal norm, and I am really struggling with my body at the moment so it's just kicking me while I'm down. BUT what do I do when I feel insecure? Post the insecurities here so you can all see! Huge GRRR energy.

In response to the hurtful remarks, Chatfield wrote: “It’s been over a year of being in the media to a certain degree and comments like these only get a tiiiiny bit easier. Yes, they’re laughable. Yes, our value doesn’t come from our weight and yes, being 'fat' shouldn’t even be a bad word BUT it still sucks."

She added: "It gets exhausting and I just want it to stop. I want it to stop for me, but also for people who read these comments and think it’s the norm. Speaking about women as objects, analysing their weight and saying you would 'take them for a ride' is especially repugnant."

"Saying all I need to do is stay the 'correct' weight is… f**ked? It implies that to have worth I need to stay thin, and that my value exists only when I fit into a standard of beauty that is not realistic.”

As a final clap back, putting her online trolls to shame, she ended with a positive note, telling her followers to embrace their insecurities, saying: 

“BUT what do I do when I feel insecure? Post the insecurities here so you can all see! Huge GRRR energy.”

Sadly, this isn't the first time that Chatfield has opened up about the abuse she receives online. Back in June, she revealed that she receives online abuse and threats of violence daily, forcing her to fear for her safety.

abbiechatfield View Profile
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Fuck this. Fuck these people. Fuck you if you've ever messaged anyone something even close to this. This is why people commit suicide after being catapulted into the spotlight by a TV show. Am I grateful for the bachelor? Yes! Does ANYTHING anyone does on these shows warrant this? FUCK NO. These are just 10 of the messages I've saved over the last year, I have a whole google drive with HUNDREDS of DMs that I've kept to use for something actually good in the future. Threats of violence, name calling, threats to my safety and general snide comments still happen a year on. Whenever I post stories about this, I get well intentioned DMs saying "don't worry about it babe!" "Block and delete!" "You need time away from your phone" "these troll accounts have no life!" While you may think this is the logical answer, to ignore, to hide and to just block, it simply does not work. You block one account, another pops up and you have no track of who is who. It gets to a point where you recognise the usernames because of repeat offenders. You can't ignore threats of violence, and attacks on your character. I shouldn't have to get off social media, and if I didn't use socials for a day each time someone messaged me something like this, I would be on socials 2 days of the year. You think these accounts are just fake accounts? No. These are people's parents, daughters, friends. Most of the accounts are people who have a seemingly normal social media presence. One sent message may help with your crippling insecurity and help you project, but your message is a droplet in a waterfall of insidious online torture. At one point I was scared to be recognised in public, for fear of my safety. I still get worried when people ask for photos with me that they're going to say something to hurt me or take a photo with me and joke about me with their friends. This isn't a joke. This isn't fucking funny and This isn't fair. I shouldn't be falling asleep worried someone will break into my apartment and strangle me. I will not blur out names because if you're brave enough to send it via a DM, be brave enough for everyone to see. If you know any of these people in these messages, confront them.

"At one point I was scared to be recognised in public, for fear of my safety," she wrote.

"I still get worried when people ask for photos with me that they're going to say something to hurt me or take a photo with me and joke about me with their friends. This isn't a joke. I shouldn't be falling asleep worried someone will break into my apartment and strangle me."

Yet again, Chatfield's experiences have highlighted not only the bullying that those of reality TV fame receive constantly, but the unfair, unrealistic and damaging expectations women and our bodies are held up against every day, almost always at the expense of our health, wellbeing and confidence. Threatening, bullying and shaming someone is never okay. We are more than just our bodies. Thank you to Abbie for another necessary reminder.

If you or someone you know is struggling with bullying, you can call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or visit the website. Beyond Blue is an Australia-wide free-call service and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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