A blogger who received shocking, fat-shaming comments stuck two fingers up to her haters by sending them compliments.
Lexie Manion was called “disgusting” and “unhealthy” after posting two side by side photos of herself on Instagram earlier this month, but refused to let her critics get her down.
In the post, Lexie explained that plus size women sometimes feel additional pressure to “dress up” in order to dispel ideas that “fat equals lazy”.
She encouraged her followers to “eff the rules” and be confident wearing whatever the hell they want, but not everyone agreed with her message.
Although the post received more than 17,000 likes, Lexie also received a lot of negative comments, some of which have now been deleted.
Writing for Cosmopolitan, Lexie explained that in the past she has blocked such people, but this time she decided to take a different approach.
“I identified the people who’d written the worst things about me, then directly messaged or publicly commented with a genuine compliment: ‘I love how you spell your name – it’s so unique and pretty!’ ‘I love that dress on you – you’re stunning!’ ‘Your smile is absolute sunshine!’” she explained.
“Though I had low expectations, I hoped the people I complimented would be forced to acknowledge they’d trolled a real and compassionate person, then be inspired to think twice in the future before bullying me or another stranger.”
Among the 30 accounts Lexie reached out to, she only received a handful of replies. While a few people thanked her for her kind words, two people actually apologised for their behaviour.
According to Lexie, not one of the people she reached out to posted any more hateful comments about her.
“Changing the conversation on my own terms helped me regain the pride I felt when posting the photos in the first place,” she said.
Lexie, we think you’re marvellous.