Influencer
Model & Influencer Chesca Ferrari on Dealing with Hate Online
What is the best way to deal with trolls online? Fashion model and influencer Chesca Ferrari shares her experience with trolls and how she deals with hateful comments. She also shares about signing with Sintillate Talent, a multi-award-winning talent and influencer agency representing talent in 18 countries. Keep reading to learn more about Chesca’s thoughts on trolls, body positivity, and the future of the creator marketplace.
About Chesca Ferrari
Chesca Ferrari is a 29-year-old UK fashion, swimwear, and lingerie model and influencer. She has been creating fashion and lifestyle content for Instagram for two to three years as a hobby.
Recently, she started doing more modeling and is looking at transitioning from her full-time job to full-time content creation. Today, she shares her experience with hate online and signing with Sintillate Talent.
Shaming from Internet Trolls
Chesca shares that she didn’t expect to receive so much trolling when she began creating content.
“It was something that I didn’t really expect when I started doing it [content creation]. The trolling that I’ve experienced is based on my body shape, more like skinny shaming.”
She adds that she’s seen people skinny-shaming others on forums and other platforms but didn’t expect it on social media. Unfortunately, she hasn’t seen many other influencers speak about it on their platforms.
“I think there’s a lot of fat shaming and things like that, but skinny shaming hasn’t really been in the forefront of the issues with trolling on social media.”
Chesca has also experienced skinny shaming in person when others exclude her from conversations about dieting or fitness because they assume she doesn’t need to be involved with it.
However, Chesca shares that she goes to the gym regularly to work out, and these comments made her feel pressured to gain weight to avoid these mean comments.
Some of the comments she’s received online include the following:
“What is this? Is this a real person? This needs an edit, [She] needs a sandwich and things like that. Just really nasty comments.”
She even started receiving recurring direct messages from one individual who left degrading comments about Chesca being “a dog who wants a bone.”
The Impact of Trolling on Social Media
Chesca feels a lot of aggression and pressure from trolls online, many of who she feels don’t recognize her as a person. Instead, they view her as a 2D image with no feelings.
She shares that some people may troll because of a lack of understanding toward others.
“It’s something that if people are in a different demographic to you, they don’t understand you, and they can’t put themselves in your shoes. So, they think anything that’s not what they are is alien to them, and they just troll.”
She adds, “I’ve done nothing to you apart from standing there in some lingerie and stockings. I don’t know whether it’s hate or I don’t know if it comes from maybe jealousy. I don’t necessarily think it’s jealousy. I think it’s just kind of not understanding that isn’t you.”
That unfamiliar territory may trigger some people, leading them to lash out with hateful comments.
Chesca shares that since the trolling started, she has gained two stones, which she feels resulted from the pressure from trolls to put on weight.
Is Trolling Cyberbulling?
Chesca shares that she believes trolling is a form of cyberbullying.
“The thing with cyberbullying is it usually comes from people who know the person who they’re bullying, so it’s more of a personal thing. So, obviously, that feels worse to a degree because it feels like you know that person. You’re trying to affect them purposefully.
Trolling can have the same effect on people, though, even when it’s not somebody that you know in real life. Chesca shares that she thinks many trolls don’t realize the hurt that they can cause others.
“The person who’s doing it doesn’t have the same [closeness to you] and doesn’t realize the impact that they’re causing when they do it because they do not realize you’re a human being. They just think you’re something on Instagram.”
Chesca shares that she doesn’t interact or respond to hate comments at all. If someone posts hateful comments on her photos, she will block them to prevent her followers from seeing the mean comment and attacking the person in her defense.
Signing with Sintillate Talent
Chesca signed with Sintillate Talent, a multi-award-winning talent and influencer agency representing talent in 18 countries.
She shares that since signing with them, she’s gotten to know more creators, which has been helpful since they share many of the same experiences. Many other creators also experience body shaming comments, which Chesca notes are often from other women.
“The majority of the people in the agency are female, so it’s nice to be able to meet other people who have had the same experiences. You sort of realize you’re not the only person who is going through this. Somebody else is also experiencing this, and you can talk to her and figure out how to deal with it in the right way.”
Sintillate Talent also has a well-being manager, which Chesca shares helps her to deal with the hate, especially when she feels backed into a corner.
“A lot of time when you’re doing content creation, you’re doing it on your own. You’re alone doing this stuff, so you’re making a video, posting it, the majority of the time.”
Being a part of Sintillate Talent allows Chesca to be part of an uplifting community, making content creation less isolating.
The Future of the Creator Marketplace
Chesca shares that she would love to see more real people featured and highlighted online rather than just highly edited photos and individuals.
She would also love to see the body positivity movement extend to more body types.
“There is a lot of body positivity going on, but it seems to be a lot of body positivity towards the larger girls and just sort of excluding the skinny girls, and that’s kind of what I have an issue with. I know the majority of [women on] Instagram are these perfect-looking girls, but I don’t think any of them are really showing who they are.”
She adds that she would love more influencers to come forward about the hate they receive as part of this movement toward a more real Instagram.
“The agency that I’m working with is really good because it means that people are able to relate more to real people, rather than just sort of people that you hold up and think I’m never going to be like that.”
In closing, Chesca shares that she recently filmed a music video, and the single is now officially released.
