“You are the most pathetic self centered b**ch,” one comment read. “If I were any of the girls, I’d punch you in the jaw and knock you the f**k out the way you think you’re so top s*t.”
“Ur a piece of s**t and such a liar f**k off and get a life hope ur life is full of s**t just like u r,” read another.
Unfortunately, these ten are just some of the hundreds of DMs Chatfield has saved onto a Google drive. A year after her run on the hit Channel 10 dating reality TV show, and people are still sending her “threats of violence, name calling, threats to my safety and general snide comments.” And, as she explained, simply blocking and deleting messages doesn’t stop the abuse from coming.
“Whenever I post stories about this, I get well intention-ed DMs saying “don’t worry about it babe,” “block and delete,” “you need time away from your phone,” “these troll accounts have no life,”” she said. “While you may think this is the logical answer, to ignore, to hide and to just block, it simply does not work. You block one account, another pops up and you have no track of who is who. It gets to a point where you recognise the usernames because of repeat offenders."
Receiving messages like these on a daily basis has left Chatfield “scared to be recognised in public, for fear of my safety.”
“I still get worried when people ask for photos with me that they’re going to say something to hurt me or take a photo with me and joke about me with their friends,” she wrote. “This isn’t a joke. This isn’t f**king funny and this isn’t fair.”
“I shouldn’t be falling asleep worried someone will break into my apartment and strangle me. I will not blur out names because if you’re brave enough to send it via a DM, be brave enough for everyone to see. If you know any of these people in these messages, confront them.”
We shouldn’t have to say this but you should absolutely never send someone abuse or hate. These messages are not okay. Just because Abbie Chatfield is on a reality TV show and you have opinions of her, doesn’t mean you need to voice them to her and privately message her. That’s harassment and it’s not on.
If you've experienced bullying or abuse and want to talk to someone, contact the KidsHelpline (1800 55 1800).
