It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been trolled…
THE STORY
…Considering the blog will be five years old in May, it’s surprising that it’s only happened a handful of times. It’s also surprising because I’m not known for holding back on my opinions in regard to life, politics and other issues that tend to piss people off. The sad truth is that of the four times I have unintentionally lured the trolls out of their holes, three of the attacks have been in regard to my appearance…and those attacks have come from women around my age.
The most recent troll sighting happened last weekend on my Facebook page. This time the nastiness was aimed at my beliefs and my appearance. Okay…game on, troll. What people who don’t really know me don’t realize is that I have zero tolerance for petty mean bullshit, and I will call you out for it. If you’re going to be ugly then you’re going to be held accountable for it.
I know that some of us who put ourselves out there deal with trolls by simply ignoring them. That too is a good approach as you’re not adding fuel to their fire. Going that route doesn’t work for me though. I feel that if you are brazen enough to be nasty then you need to own it.
I have no problem whatsoever with differing opinions. Plenty of times on the blog readers haven’t necessarily agreed with me. They voiced their thoughts in a respectful manner, we had a non-confrontational dialogue about it and moved on; perhaps a bit wiser having learned from one another.
Whenever I have confronted trolls I have always been respectful about it. I don’t attack them personally even though the angry teenager in me really wants to. The woman last weekend claimed that I did, but if you read the dialogue, my response was purely fact based. She simply had no solid rationale for trolling me and didn’t know what to do when I publicly held her responsible for her snarkiness.
It’s so easy to hide behind a computer screen and spew ugliness and negativity out into the world. I feel that if people who think that it’s okay to do that are held accountable for it, maybe at least a few of them will think twice before they do it again in the future. I personally cannot fathom behaving like that. I’m not perfect. Of course I sometimes have mean immature thoughts about people. But do I voice them? No. I keep my mouth shut and move on. That’s what grown ups do. So if you are going to come at me with your mean immature thoughts, I’m going to point it out so you had better be prepared for it.
This is the photo that set my little troll off: 
Yes, it’s obviously a political statement. Yes, I wore it to the March For Our Lives event in Pittsburgh. It was the first political event my little budding activist had ever been to and she loved it. My son and I took my daughter and her best friend, and it was a truly beautiful and inspiring (albeit sad) day. Perhaps it’s silly, but my baby girl and I don’t particularly want to die at school. Do you have to agree with our opinions? Nope, ya don’t. Do you have to respect our opinions? Yes, you do.
I refuse to allow nastiness to one another to be normalized and accepted. I will confront it, whether it be in real life or from behind a computer screen. It is not ever okay to be cruel simply because you don’t like what someone is wearing, how they look, how they feel or what they believe. Not ever.
THE OUTFIT
Boho much? Ya, it’s been awhile since I hit you with a full on boho-licious look so here ya go. Nothing says boho quite like a flowy skirt, layers of chiffon and ruffles and slouchy boots. Check, check and check.
Both the skirt and top came from Forever 21 and I’ve had them for years. I’ve never paired them together though until today. The pairing gives off a gypsy girl vibe that I totally love. As I knew that I would, I wear the Birkenstock boots all of the time. Literally…All. Of. The. Time. They are crazy comfortable and have that slouchy comfortable lived in look that I love.
THE TIP
If you like the boho look, but don’t want to go full-on like I did simply break up the pieces. Pair the skirt with a cute tee shirt and heels or maybe style a boho top with a pair of skinny dress pants or jeans. Then you’ll have a boho lite look.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Skirt: Forever 21 (Similar); Top: Forever 21 (Similar); Boots: Birkenstock via 6 p.m.
