"The Flack Attack"

The phrase “The Flack Attack” now has an entirely different meaning. When the phrase was said before it was associated with a slow motion ever so fierce looking Caroline entering the Love Island Villa to drop a bombshell on the contestants… and now when I think of “The Flack attack” I just think of how the British Media attacked Caroline Flack to a point where she just couldn’t cope anymore. She was vulnerable and at one of the lowest points of her life but instead of giving her peace, privacy, and the time to build herself back up she was kicked back down.

The British media have a level of control and influence that is frightening. The media have done this for as long as I can remember and there is evidence of it going way back further then that. Once the media decide that you don’t fit the bill then your number is up, and its only a matter of time before they break you entirely. In my time the people I have seen harassed would have been Princess Diana, Amy Winehouse, Katie Price, and as of late Megan Markle. Of that list alone two are now dead, one sued the press, and one left the country. I know Princess Diana’s death was not entirely related to the press, but they were chasing her in the tunnel that night, and prior to this they harassed and attacked her character in every way they could.

Do you know that a few years back The Sun Newspaper announced the most hated woman in Britain since Myra Hindley to be Katie Price? That to me is actually mind blowing not because I like her but because that is proof that the level of influence the media has can make a Model/Mother/Business Woman the most hated woman since a cold-blooded child killing rapist with multiple counts of murder on their hands. That is the type of power that the media has! Fine, she may not be everyone’s cup of tea but is she even remotely in that league? Well, the answer to that is according to the media she was, and they influenced this to be a national decision and ran a poll to confirm it.

The media set the image of their chosen victim based on half facts and stories THEN the Social Media Trolls and Bully’s come out with fangs and claws. If you have ever taken a minute like I have to go through some comments on Celebrities Instagram posts, you would know that it is disgusting what is said to these people! It can range from “you are fat”, “everyone hates you”, or to the unspeakable “you should kill yourself”. Then if you click on the account that is saying these things you will then see that it’s an account with no profile picture and two followers - which means that these accounts are solely created to harass and bully people. It means there are actual people in this world who purposely attack people as a hobby. I’d have more tolerance for someone if they actually just said it from their own account at least then its just someone who is an idiot with no respect for anyone, but these people are worse they are cowards who hide behind a keypad attacking, abusing, and bullying people for their own enjoyment.

People forget that negativity is something we all give attention to. If I wore a new dress and nine people said it was nice or that I looked great I’d smile modestly and thank them forgetting about the compliment instantly BUT if one person after the nine compliments said I looked bad or that the dress didn’t suit me – that is the only opinion I will take in, I would spend the day checking myself in every reflection I pass feeling paranoid about how I look, and I would never be seen in that dress again.

You can probably recall a time that a person said something negative or nasty towards you in fact you probably still tell the story of that time it was said to you because it had such an impact…. Well can you imagine receiving hundreds and thousands of those comments a day? Can you imagine over time what that would do to your mental health? Can you imagine how comment after comment would chip away your self-love and confidence? When you really think about it... is it any wonder that this is what the world has come to!

Last weekend ‘The Flack Attack’ changed it's meaning entirely for me. Before this tragedy happened when I thought of Caroline, I saw a style icon, a strong woman, a person who made me cry with laughter, a person with an opinion & a backbone, the only person who could pull off wearing shorts and heels, and someone kind hearted who was very much liked…..Now all I can see is a victim, someone who’s appearance was just that ‘an appearance’, someone who was vulnerable, and someone who the world has failed massively.

Words can be the most powerful tool in the world, and a voice can change the world with a speech… but it can destroy a person with a single sentence.

Please think before you press send or print!!!

Rest in peace Caroline. I hope your entrance through the gates of Heaven was in slow motion, dramatic music was played, and now that the pain is over that on the inside you feel how we all saw you on the outside xxx