The Humiliation Game
Marie Claire - UK|June 2017

The idea of public shaming has been around for centuries, but technology has taken the humiliation of people whose views or actions we don’t like to a new and terrifying level. Lucy Pavia investigates how shaming overtook trolling as our biggest fear online.

Lucy Pavia
The Humiliation Game

‘Love handles’ wrote bodybuilder Diana Andrews in purple letters over the covert photograph she’d taken of a fellow gym-goer during an evening training session. The picture, which she posted on Instagram Stories to her 17,000 followers, would have disappeared in a day had someone not decided to pull her up on it. Instead, a screen grab of the ‘body-shaming’ post began circulating on Twitter and Facebook. ‘This train wreck of a human thinks bathroom selfies are glamorous but a real woman with a real body, working out at a gym, should be shamed,’ wrote a critic on Facebook. Hundreds, then thousands, of Twitter and Facebook users piled on to mock Andrews’ own ‘plastic’ face and call her a slut, a bitch – and far worse. Her former trainer condemned the picture, as did the plus-sized model Tess Holliday. Andrews issued two written apologies, but a week later the abusive messages were still flooding in.

The incident felt like a textbook case of modern online shaming, when an ordinary person’s mistake, ‘misspeak’ or bad joke catapults them from anonymity to infamy faster than you can say ‘pitchfork brigade’. Andrews joins a hall of shame that features, among others, ‘cat bin lady’ Mary Bale – who was caught on CCTV trapping a tabby in a wheelie bin and later fined £250 – and New York PR executive Justine Sacco, who sarcastically joked on Twitter, ‘Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!’ before boarding a plane. By the time she’d landed, she was an online hate figure.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2017-Ausgabe von Marie Claire - UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2017-Ausgabe von Marie Claire - UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS MARIE CLAIRE - UKAlle anzeigen
Uma Thurman
Marie Claire - UK

Uma Thurman

‘I Managed To Stay In The Business That I Love All My Life, And I Know That’s Not A Given. I Can’t Not Feel Lucky About It, No Matter What The Downsides Can Be’.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
November 2019
Pollution Proof Your Life
Marie Claire - UK

Pollution Proof Your Life

From your daily commute to your wood-burning stove, you’re unwittingly inhaling a variety of toxic substances. But you can take action to reduce their impact, reveals Claire Thorp.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2019
We Love Lucy
Marie Claire - UK

We Love Lucy

From a star-making turn in Bohemian Rhapsody to a leading role in sassy new Netflix show The Politician, Lucy Boynton is ready for her close-up. Here, she tells Jane Mulkerrins about her life-changing year.

time-read
7 Minuten  |
November 2019
Human Touch
Marie Claire - UK

Human Touch

Connecting with others can have a confidence-boosting effect, support skin health and help you live longer. Here’s why the wonders of physical contact really matter...

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 2019
Facing The Floods
Marie Claire - UK

Facing The Floods

Photographer Gideon Mendel has spent 12 years capturing the extreme rise in flooding across the globe. Here, he tells Marie Claire about the devastating human impact.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2019
'Learn How To Please Yourself First' –and Other Sex Tips From Our Mums
Marie Claire - UK

'Learn How To Please Yourself First' –and Other Sex Tips From Our Mums

Three mothers and daughters explain how talking openly to each other about sex, identity and pleasure has strengthened their relationship and enriched their love lives

time-read
9 Minuten  |
September 2019
10 Mindful Ways To Approach Health And Well-Being
Marie Claire - UK

10 Mindful Ways To Approach Health And Well-Being

From cortisol-free fitness to stress-busting diets and calm skin, Fiona Embleton reveals ten mindful ways to approach health and well-being

time-read
6 Minuten  |
May 2019
Sex Crimes on Campus
Marie Claire - UK

Sex Crimes on Campus

This month, thousands of female students will head for university, but many will become the victims of sexual assault and harassment.Polly Dunbar investigates the alarming rise of college rape culture.

time-read
7 Minuten  |
November 2016
Fight The Fear
Marie Claire - UK

Fight The Fear

Approximately ten million people in the UK suffer with a debilitating phobia. When Charlotte Haigh’s fear of flying threatened to damage her mental health, she took action…

time-read
6 Minuten  |
December 2017
Celine Dion
Marie Claire - UK

Celine Dion

‘Growing Up, I Used to Feel Awkward and Insecure. I Remember Not Feeling or Looking My Best’

time-read
8 Minuten  |
December 2017