In the last few weeks, examples of sexism and misogyny have been rife in the news, with their shadowy identities pulled under the rug of various realms of our world – from Married At First Sight to Australian politics. And now, it seems, MasterChef star and last year’s runner-up, Laura Sharrad, has had her unfortunate share, too.
WATCH: MasterChef’s Laura Sharrad is back to win
Like many Aussie reality TV stars – especially ones with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram – Sharrad, 25, is used to receiving messages from strangers. But, last night, the Italian-Australian chef “opened a really disturbing” one.
“It was something no young woman should ever have to read,” she wrote in a post on Instagram Stories, not revealing exactly what the post was.
“I feel so sick. I feel violated. I feel unsafe. I feel disgusting. I feel a lot of things. All of them [are] bad things.”
Laura continued, reminding us that regardless of not revealing what was exactly said, this kind of behaviour and treatment of women is not ok.
“I thought about posting this all afternoon as I rarely share things about how I’m actually feeling. This is meant to be a happy place,” she added.
“Today, I am not okay.”
Turning to the comments that other reality TV stars like Abbie Chatfield receive on the daily, and what we’ve seen in politics lately, it isn’t hard to imagine what these messages are and the impact that has on a person.
So, it’s important to remind yourself, as Laura shared today on Instagram Stories, “you are worth so much more than the way they made you feel.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing trauma or abuse, know that there are people who can help and are ready to listen.
1800 RESPECT is a national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service that’s available 24/7 and provides confidential online support.
If you feel that your life is in danger, please, contact 000.
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