4 Irish bloggers Who’ve Spoken Out Against Online Bullies & Trolls

Bloggers put themselves in the spotlight on a daily basis; something that requires a thick skin and a lot of confidence. But for every selfie, video or body pic that racks up likes, hits and followers, there’s always going to be at least one person who has something negative or potentially hurtful to say.

No matter how on point a girl’s make-up looks, or how likable, inspiring or talented she is, people, especially when hiding behind a computer screen, can be very nasty indeed.

These Irish bloggers, though? They’ve opened up about their experiences of trolling, and shut down their cyber bullies in the process.

Gals, we salute you!

Suzanne Jackson

With a following of over 500,000, Suzanne Jackson AKA So Sue Me is one of the most popular women on the Irish blogging scene, but she too has had her fair share of trolls. “The reality is that none of us are perfect,” she wrote in a recent blog post. “None of us are even close… It would be great if we could laugh it off, and put it to the back of our mind, but in reality, negative comments are extremely hurtful and do so much damage to dent a person’s self belief.”

Rosie Connolly

Rosie from Hearts, Heels And Handbags told Stellar.ie that the most difficult thing about blogging is the abuse you receive from other people. “Putting your life in the public eye leaves you open to internet trolls,” Rosie told us. “I’ve had plenty of nasty comments online, but for every negative comment, there’s a thousand more positive ones.”

Joanne Larby

Joanne Larby gets a lot of stick for her fitness posts and they’re mostly from other women. Speaking to Stellar.ie, the Make Up Fairy Pro said the negative comments regarding her fitness journey were down to the fear of change.

“I think a lot of people don’t like change. Like I said, when I started off I was a lot bigger; I was a size 14 and I think for that reason, a lot of my followers were girls of the same size. Maybe it’s a case of people thinking I haven’t stayed true to myself but people change, it’s just the way life goes. I didn’t decide I was going to lose weight, I just decided I was going to make more healthy choices and with that, my body changed to a size 10-12.”

Leanne Woodfull

Thunder And Threads blogger Leanne suffered a barrage of unrelenting abuse online. Bullied because of her underbite, Leanne didn’t let the trolls silence her, instead choosing to document her journey to surgery, and speak out about trolling. “Women need to start applauding fellow women – especially when it comes to business,” says Leanne. “Catty remarks and negativity just step us back in time.”

• Joanne Larby
• Leanne Woodfull
• Rosie Connolly
• SoSueMe