Ever since we were little, our parents have taught us to never judge a book by it’s cover and always treat everyone nicely no matter how they look. But as it turns out, many ‘skipped’ this lesson and turned into bitter adults who give themselves the right to treat others with disrespect.
A woman named Melissa Blake who is a journalist and a writer, knows all too well what it feels like to be called names. Although what she has to say on the subject of disability, relationships, and pop culture has inspired a lot of people, there are still those who leave nasty comments regarding her looks.
Recently, this 38-year-old woman who was born with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome was labeled ‘blob fish’ and ‘a potato with a face.
But, that didn’t make Melissa doubt her strengths. Instead, she decided to speak for herself and fired back at her trolls and haters.
Because of the syndrome, her face has a distinctive look. Her mouth is smaller and she has decreased nose cartilage. She even had to undergo around 25 surgeries during her lifetime and is still using a wheelchair to move around.
Reminder that this is what it’s like to be a disabled woman writer on the internet AND #ThisIsAmerica in 2019: A conservative YouTuber mentioned my recent op-ed about #UnfollowTrump. The comments? I’m fat, ugly and look like a blob fish, a parade balloon and a potato with a face. pic.twitter.com/ROczIXKNom
— Melissa Blake (@melissablake) August 8, 2019
Looking at the comments, Melissa decided to write back and what she had to say spread like a wildfire. People say she’s brave and that she’s someone we should all look up to if we are in the position of being bullied.
“People wonder why I’ve struggled so much with self-acceptance when it comes to how I look and our society’s notion of what “beautiful” is. It’s because of comments like these — comments that dismiss me and deem me unworthy,” Melissa explained.
“[…] This is just one more example of the type of ableism that people with disabilities face every day and it’s something I’m constantly trying to change.”
After she was told she was ‘too ugly’ for selfies, she certainly didn’t stop taking them. In fact, she treated her haters with three new photos of her.
“During the last round of trollgate, people said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I’m too ugly. So I’d just like to commemorate the occasion with these 3 selfies…”
During the last round of trollgate, people said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I’m too ugly. So I’d just like to commemorate the occasion with these 3 selfies… 📸😉👋🏻 pic.twitter.com/9ZuSYFOtwv
— Melissa Blake (@melissablake) September 7, 2019
Since her post has gone viral, Melissa’s tweet got more than 272,000 likes on Twitter. As a result, more people heard of her and her work. That brought her new followers and now more people will get to read her wise words.
Melissa is a true inspiration. She teaches us how we should always be proud of the way we look no matter what other people say.