'I was a happy young mum until I posted a selfie and my whole life changed'
A young woman is taking a stand against body-shaming five years after a harmless selfie saw her attacked by vicious trolls.
Georgia Croud, now 26, recalls the day five years ago when her life was irrevocably altered by "intense and sustained" body shaming. She was a contented 21-year-old mother to a one-year-old child, preparing for an outing with friends. "The sun was shining through the window and at that moment I felt great about myself and my life," she said.
In a spontaneous act of self-love, she snapped a selfie with her dressing gown slightly off the shoulder, no more revealing than an off-the-shoulder dress, and shared it online. However, within minutes, Georgia's life was inundated with a torrent of abhorrent abuse from internet trolls. Her innocent image was reposted by a man who publicly shamed her for posting the selfie, citing her status as a mother.
"The abuse started within minute," Georgia told Cheshire Live. "'You're a mum - you should have more respect for yourself' was the kindest comment." Accusations of promiscuity were hurled at her by strangers who had never met her. She was labelled a 'slut' on a daily basis and accused of being 'easy', all stemming from a single selfie posted in a moment of self-confidence.
The onslaught continued relentlessly, day after day, week after week, from both men and women who knew absolutely nothing about her. "It was relentless, cruel and merciless," she says. Georgia has bravely shared her struggle against the unyielding wave of online abuse, revealing how her attempts to defend herself "just made things so much worse and It got completely out of control. Anything I tried to say was manipulated and turned against me and I had no way of doing anything about it."
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She confessed to feeling "hopeless and helpless," shamed by the relentless cruelty she faced. "I just never expected this: how could people be so gratuitously cruel?" she said. The intensity and persistence of the abuse led Georgia to internalise the negativity, causing her to question her self-worth. "It was so intense and sustained that I started to believe it all myself. Why would so many people say these bad things about me if it wasn't true?"
Georgia's mental health took a severe hit. "I became very depressed. I don't remember anything at all from that first year. It was just a blur of despair." She further revealed the depth of her despair, confessing, "I felt terrible about myself and began to hate how I looked, how I was thinking and feeling. I actually did contemplate taking my own life at one point."
However Georgia, along with University of Chester student Angharad Davies, 27, has launched an initiative aimed at empowering women and girls across the country who are victims of online body-shaming. Their organisation, Goodgirl, was pitched to the university's Venture programme, which provides opportunities for students to secure backing for their business ideas.
Their efforts were recognised at a recent pitch event where they bagged the top awards. The next Goodgirl event, scheduled to take place in Chester this month, invites women aged 18 and over to share their experiences, regain their confidence, and boost their self-image.
Angharad highlights the plight of hundreds of young girls and women across Cheshire West who are subjected to online harassment. Their lives have been made unbearable, sometimes merely due to their choice of attire or pose. The impact is devastating, leading to self-harm, isolation, mental ill-health, and tragically, even suicide.
Angharad's events offer a sanctuary for these individuals, allowing them to share their experiences of body shaming, low self-esteem, and fear of judgment with others who have walked in their shoes. The goal is to celebrate womanhood and empower these women to reclaim their bodies, their narratives, and their sexuality.
Georgia took a two-year hiatus from social media. She credits her recovery and regained confidence to the unwavering support of close friends. "It took a long time but I gradually came to realise that I had done nothing wrong and it wasn't just me this was happening to," she shares. She further reveals that hundreds of women are targeted daily, including school students who face an enormous challenge: they can't hide and must confront their peers every day.
Georgia considers herself fortunate. With help from her friends, she reached a turning point where she decided to regain control over her life. "I am a good person and if I believe that, why should I allow other vindictive people prevent me from being me, from believing what I believe and expressing myself in the way that I want to and from being happy and feeling good?" she said. "I found the courage to post again, motivated by the need to say to others in the same position: 'It's Ok to express yourself, without fear'."
Harnessing her passion for photography, she initially used it as a tool to celebrate her own body and identity. Now Georgia and Angharad are extending this empowerment to hundreds of women who have faced or are currently dealing with similar fears and shaming. Georgia added, "We give them the empowerment that I needed back then. We've found our voice and I hope that we can help women in Chester to find theirs."
The much-anticipated Chester event, dubbed 'Goodgirls and Pearls', is scheduled for 23 September from 2.00pm to 6.00pm. For more details, interested parties can reach out via email at [email protected] or visit @itsagoodgirlthing on Instagram.
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* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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