– I get anxious thinking that there are people who hate me, says Helene Drage (34). The mother of small children from Fredrikstad has been an influencer for ten years and has over 30,000 followers on social media. – Someone tried to destroy me by visiting my workplace and spreading lies about me. I have also reported someone to the police for violations, says Drage. According to several influencers news has spoken to, they are being “trolled” by their own. Incited by their own Some of those who have pressed the “follow” button are those who spread hate about those they follow, according to the influencers. Drage shares a lot about his body weight on social media. She was very overweight and had slimming surgery in 2018. Along the way, she shared photos and ups and downs with her followers on her blog. Helene Drage from Fredrikstad has shared honestly about her weight history on her channels. She gets teased for that. Photo: Screenshot One of the many posts was about how the questions from the followers were difficult to deal with. “Maybe I’ll open up more about it, but right now I can’t bear to expose myself to all the crap I know comes with it.” she wrote to her followers. – There is a lot of anger, which is about my weight, appearance and body. “You are far too big and fat. You should lose weight”. It takes a toll on self-confidence, she says. – Why do you bear to stand in the hate? – I choose to continue to share myself because I know that I make a difference when I am open and talk about topics that many people do not dare themselves, says Drage. – Don’t you have to count on this when you come forward? – I do not agree with that. If you had received the comments I receive in your job, you would not accept it, says Drage. Helene Drage from Fredrikstad has worked as an influencer for 13 years, and gets a lot of heat when she posts videos on social media. Aim to break barriers Aurora Hoff from Bærum calls herself a “plus size influencer”. She is the mother of two children and promotes that appearance is not the most important thing. – I believe that my place in social media helps to break down barriers, normalize and create space for differences. It motivates me daily, says Hoff. Plus-size influencer Aurora Hoff is motivated by giving people a different view of the body. Photo: Screenshot She has over 32,000 followers on Instagram. She receives condescending comments for her appearance. – In periods it is more than others. That people think I’m fat, ugly or weigh too much. As an overweight woman, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before, says Hoff. Her internal research shows that bad weather, darker seasons are worse than other times. Aurora Hoff is commented on by anonymous people on Kvinneguiden. Photo: Screen dump Hoff has also been open about his challenges with weight and body pressure. It has earned her many fans. – The fact that I myself don’t look like a “normative woman” is what is often commented on by haters. It gives me the answer to why I should take my place in the public space, she says. – Many people write that my platform gives them a different view of the body, body shape, and how to accept yourself in the best possible way, says Hoff. She wants to be the role model that didn’t exist when she grew up. – It probably makes many people feel less alone and less different when you can recognize yourself in others. Aurora Hoff makes many followers hammer away at the keyboard when she posts videos like this one, where the body is in focus. – Tired mothers of young children hate me We have to go to Spain to find plant influencer Belinda Jakobsen. Lyngdølen has over 100,000 followers on Instagram. She usually shares knowledge about plants, but she also posts on social media about mental health and exercise. She has lost sleep at night because of nasty comments. – I think that it is often mothers with young children who are tired, or older women who did not find themselves after the children moved out. I often ask if they feel better after performing this action, she says. Plant flu Belinda Jakobsen likes to hear that she is fake, and that her marriage is not as good as she tries to make it appear. Photo: Screenshot – I’m not going to say all of them, but I probably think that some influencers plan to be criticized, because they provoke a lot. This is precisely what I try to avoid, says the southerner. She likes to confront her bullies when she thinks it’s getting to be too much. – I explain to them that I also follow other influencers and celebrities, but that even if they do things I disagree with, I don’t send Kim Kardashian a message asking her to change her lifestyle. – I rather work to find out why I was triggered, she emphasizes. Influencer Belinda Jakobsen shares her material from Spain. She sends the instigators a clear message. Paying tribute to their smart followers But by no means all influencers receive harassment and mean comments. Some people only get nice words. Over 200,000 people follow beauty influencer Gine Margrethe Larsen Qvale on Instagram. Gine Margrethe Larsen Qvale herself believes that she has smart and cool followers on social media, and gets little heat. Photo: Screenshot She pays tribute to her followers. – There was someone who wrote “golden barbie” under a picture once, but when I elaborated on her, she didn’t answer. Something in me says that they don’t dare because I’m business-minded and that it might scare someone because I challenge them to answer, she says. – Have you reflected on why you don’t get hate? – I’m probably a bit older than those who get hate. I think that those who follow me seem incredibly upbeat and good people. I’m not that big in Norway, so maybe these trolls haven’t discovered me yet, she says and smiles. Interior blogger Maren Baxter has won a number of interior design awards, and has 167,000 followers on Instagram. – My interior followers are decent, and I style on a budget which means that many people can create something nice even with a thinner wallet. It clearly provokes little. Maren Baxter works as an influencer with a focus on interiors. She reacts to the increase in accuracy. Hat bonanza on Snatchat and TikTok Women under the age of 30 are the hardest hit by hate and harassment online, according to a report from the Equality and Discrimination Ombudsman carried out in 2021. The Norwegian Media Authority conducted an investigation in December 2021 and in January this year. 25 percent of women between the ages of 16 and 20 say they have received a hateful comment on Snapchat and TikTok. The comments are about the body or the appearance. When the comments get ugly, it’s good to know that most of Aurora Hoff’s followers wish her well. Photo: SCREEN DUMP Amnesty International Norway works to map and counter cyber threats. In 2018, they carried out a survey which revealed that the internet is the biggest threat to freedom of expression in Norway today. – Our impression is that there has been more incitement online, says political adviser Ingrid Stolpestad at Amnesty International Norway. The organization is therefore launching a new online campaign in the summer. They will then take a closer look at how the internet affects different social groups. – Amnesty in Norway has been contacted by an influencer who was exposed to cyberbullying, says Stolpestad. When you see that others are being incited – take the trouble to get involved, and step in and speak out against the instigator, says political adviser Ingrid Stolpestad at Amnesty International Norway. Photo: PRIVATE
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– You are fat, ugly and useless – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
