For women, the Internet can be an unsettling place.
Trolls — unkind (to say the least) people who hide behind their computer screens — use the anonymity of the ‘net to insult, demean, and even threaten others, particularly women who voice their opinions on, well, just about anything.
I get my fair share of comments and threats, sometimes posted publicly and other times sent to me in private messages.
Here’s a nice one I received not too long ago, posted in response to an article I shared on police brutality.
Because it’s impossible to make your point without also including a wish for a violent attack, am I right?!
It can get old, to say the least.
Fed up with trolls’ insults and threats, Kari Traa, a gold medalist Olympian from Norway, created the Trollfighters.
These ladies have been targeted by trolls and have been on the receiving end of insults and threats. For example:
Image by Trollfighters.
The group of eight women decided to fight back against online harassers. They star in a video where they’re exposing their trolls by bringing them to the light, wearing their faces on t-shirts while walking the runway — an anti-troll fashion show of sorts.
Image by Trollfighters.
Traa and her fellow Trollfighters are working to bring attention to the cyberbullying women experience. More importantly, they want trolls to know one thing: You can’t break them!
You can join the movement with the hashtag #NoTrollCanBreakMe.
