Talking Cyberbullying And Body Positivity With Chessie King
Chessie is no stranger to criticism online, having faced messages of abuse and harassment on social media throughout her career. If you are affected by online harassment or anything else touched on within this interview, follow the links throughout the article to our various support services or click on the blue logo icon at the bottom right of the screen to start using Cybersmile Assistant, our smart AI support assistant.
Instagram star Chessie King is increasingly in the media spotlight, which unfortunately means that she faces abuse and negative comments. Having teamed up with Chessie on last year’s multi-award-winning Body Positivity campaign #TrollingIsUgly, we caught back up with Chessie to get some advice on dealing with the haters and to find out how our joint campaign has impacted her career since.
We’re excited to bring you this exclusive interview which is full of insights for dealing with online negativity!
We worked together for the award winning Body Positivity campaign #TrollingIsUgly. Can you tell us a bit more about how that campaign has impacted your career since then?
People really resonated with the campaign & I think it helped so many of my followers going through online bullying. I met the team behind Instagram recently & they said they use our campaign in their presentation to show others how to use the platform in a creative & expressive way.
Our joint Body Positivity campaign titled #TrollingIsUgly won multiple awards including Gold, Silver and Bronze lions at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2018.
Have you ever been targeted with cyberbullying or online abuse?
Absolutely, it’s been so difficult at times but the #TrollingIsUgly campaign helped me so much. Trolling can affect anyone, from a 16-year-old who has 100 followers to a celebrity who has over 3 million followers and everyone in between. In some cases the effects of bullying can have extreme consequences.
The more I open up & share my life on my Instagram, the more hate I’m going to receive. And trolling is such an important issue to tackle because people cannot get away with hiding behind a computer or a phone saying things they most likely would never say to someone face-to-face. It needs to stop.
What is your favorite social media platform and why?
Instagram, because I have such an incredible community who all help & support each other in a non-judgemental space. I have curated my newsfeed to help me feel inspired, positive & empowered everyday.
What advice would you give to someone being affected by cyberbullying or abuse online?
- Delete the comment & block the account; out of sight, out of mind.
- Talk about it to someone who will listen & support you.
- Get help from the amazing team at Cybersmile.
We would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to Chessie and her team for this fantastic interview and the ongoing support for our work. For further information about Cybersmile and the work we do, please explore the suggestions below:
- Who Are Cybersmile?
- People We’ve Helped
- Cyberbullying And Online Abuse Help Center
- The Cybersmile Conversation (Allow a few seconds to load, but worth the wait!)
- World Leaders And Technology Companies Pledge To Fight Online Hate Speech
- Cybersmile Campaigns
- What We Do
- Cybersmile Gaming
- Cybersmile And Scholas Occurrentes Foundation Announce Official Global Partnership
- Millie Bobby Brown Wins Cybersmiler Of The Month Award For May
- 12-Year-Old Cyberbullying Victim Posted RIP On Social Media Before Taking Her Own Life
- Cybersmile And Rimmel Launch Groundbreaking AI Support Assistant
- Gaming Help Center
- Cybersmile Launch Interactive Digital Civility Learning Platform
- Pope Francis To Participate In Stop Cyberbullying Day Activities
- Understanding Social Media And Mental Health
- Pope Francis To Participate In Stop Cyberbullying Day 2019
- Cybersmile Wins Gold At Cannes Lions 2018 For Body Positivity Campaign
- Corporate Partnership Program
- Cybersmile Newsroom
- Become A Cybersmile Sustainer
What do you think should be done to reduce incidents of cyberbullying and online abuse? Share your thoughts by contacting us or tweet us @CybersmileHQ.
