Women Shaming Women - Why It Needs to Stop.

I was recently subject to hateful comments online by another woman and it isn't the first time its happened. Online shaming of women happens every day, probably every minute of the day. Scrolling through your 'newsfeed' I am sure you have all seen hateful or negative comments from one woman to another.

I am not sure why it happens, probably for a number of reasons but that is beyond the point. Women shaming other women needs to stop. The world is a nasty place even without the negative comments that women post or say about one another.

When I fell pregnant at 15 years old I experienced both online and in person hate. I had comments such as 'You're never going to finish year 10', 'Your baby should be aborted' and 'You've ruined your life.' Comments like these can really have an impact on someone as I know first-hand. Just for the record, I did finish year 10, I kept my baby and I did not ruin my life. Not that I need to justify myself to anyone. I am a happily married mother of two beautiful children, passionate about finishing my degree and starting a career in law. If anyone does not like or support that they can unfollow, unsubscribe or choose to not be around me.

I do not understand why women waste their time writing or saying hateful comments that is only going to have a negative impact on someone. Why can't we have a community of women who support each other and not call each other 'pathetic'. Support women in their time of need, say nice comments, smile at someone. Is it that hard to be positive? I am not saying this is all women either - most women are positive and supportive of each other. I know this too because I have beautiful women who constantly support me in my real life and online. But there are some nasty people out there who wish to make others feel bad because they are not happy with themselves or their lives. I would encourage these women to do something about it and improve their lives and happiness. Don't take it out on others who are only trying their best to succeed. You never know what impact a nasty comment will have on someone. You don't know what is going on in their lives, maybe that person is really struggling already and you can choose to make that worse or better.

I am not perfect and no human being is so, I'm not implying that I have never said anything mean or nasty or that I don't judge other women or people from time to time. We all do because we have different opinions or biases. But I would never go out of my way to say something mean to another woman online or offline.

When I did fall pregnant I had to make a choice about what I want to do with all these hateful comments, I chose to use them as part of my determination. I used the comments such as 'You're never going to finish year 10' as determination to finish year 10 and prove to myself that you can be a teenage mother and still 'make' something of your life or achieve your goals. So, the comments that I have recently received online will be used as the same thing, I am choosing to use these as determination for myself to accomplish my goals. Using these comments as determination still does not make them okay to say to someone else and I know that hateful comments are still going to continue regardless of how much progress women or people make.

So, I want to challenge women to have a positive impact on other people and support other women. Use the online community to support women achieve their dreams and goals, just don't tear them down.