Chrissy Teigen Receives Death Threats Over Tweets, Fights Back Against Cyberbullies
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Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms mean that everyone with Internet access can participate in group conversations. Previous barriers have dropped, and world leaders, celebrities, public figures, and global citizens all engage in discussions and debates. But increased transparency has its drawbacks as well, and model Chrissy Teigen faced the backlash firsthand.
On Wednesday, a Canadian opened fire near the Parliament building in Ottawa. Multiple victims sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries, and a soldier was shot and killed. After hearing the tragic news, Teigen tweeted, “Active shooting in Canada, or as we call it in America, Wednesday.” But what was intended as a witty political comment on gun control in the United States —more than 20 have occurred in 2014 alone — was interpreted as insensitive by many of her followers.
Following thousands of tweets that called the 28-year-old "insensitive," "ignorant," and "dumb," she further explained herself rather than kowtowing to the harassment and deleting her musings. "That's not a joke. It is a fact," she said. "Sorry you don't understand that is a knock at America and our issues with gun control. No one is minimizing the Ottawa shooting. ... I'm not apologizing. If you take it wrong, that is your fault."
The abuse escalated quickly, and the Sports Illustrated model even received death threats. "Sorry Canada. Our Hollywood elites and its dumb models are idiots. Wish ISIS would give Chrissy a haircut," J.V President wrote. In response, Teigen called on the social network to "step their game up" to prevent cybercruelty. She continued: "My timeline is a nice mix of toast talk and death threats."
Teigen's treatment speaks to a larger conversation about cyberbullying and censoring one's opinions online. "While I think it's important that people (high-profile or not) stand up for their beliefs, it's critically important that people practice digital citizenship," Robin M. Kowalski, professor of psychology at Clemson University, tells Yahoo Style. Tragedies such as the one that occurred in Canada happen all too often and tend to inflame people's opinions about issues such as gun control. But while self-expression is important, voicing opinions in the appropriate way is also important. Done well, speaking out actually has the potential to rally people around the cause and bring about change rather than alienating them. "Digital citizenship doesn't mean that people are not entitled to express their opinions and beliefs, just that they do so in a way that is respectful to others online," she says. Kowalski explains that proper conduct is more likely to elicit online etiquette than a storm of cyberbullying.
But if a Pew Research Center survey is accurate, young women are the most likely targets of some of the more severe forms of online harassment. "In essence, young women are uniquely likely to experience stalking and sexual harassment, while also not escaping the high rates of other types of harassment common to young people in general," the report said.
It's especially important that Teigen didn't back down to those who threatened her because it sets an example for how others should conduct themselves in the digital realm. "Tiegen's comments are challenging the sexist idea that women are to be empathetic at all times and that they should apologize when others don't understand or aren't persuaded by their assertions," Marcia Dawkins, assistant professor at USC Annenberg, tells Yahoo Style. She says that what is so great about those who refuse to back down in the face of bullying, trolling, and harassment is that they reveal how persistent online sexism is. This, in turn, opens up access to public dialogue and problem solving — online and off.
In the end, defeated, Teigen decided to take her social media talents to Instagram. "It's gotten to the point people don't even see the simplicity of the original tweet and have just wanted to get shaking-mad over something," she said. "I've lost faith in this world. Sorry if it comes off as being unemotional. There is just so much bad."
