The new Australian of the Year, body image advocate Taryn Brumfitt, has called out trolls over the body shaming of tennis champion and Australian Open commentator Jelena Dokic.
In the past week, Ms Dokic has slammed the ‘evil’ body shaming comments from detractors online, saying that the wave of hate she has faced during the tournament has been ‘insane’.
‘EVIL. There’s no other word for it,’ she said in an Instagram post.
‘People should be so ashamed. The most common comment being ‘what happened to her, she is so big?’
‘I will tell you what happened, I am finding a way and surviving and fighting.’
Ms Brumfitt said the ‘bullying’ faced by Ms Dokic was not okay.
2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt said she would give Jelena Dokic a call this week about her trolling ordeal
The former World Number 4 faced ‘body shaming’ comments during her time commentating the Australian Open. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP) / —
‘Bullying is never okay and I think we need to call it out. I think we are getting better in this country at doing that,’ Ms Brumfitt told Ten’s The Project on Thursday.
‘Good on her for the way she responded and I will give her a call this week to have that conversation,’ Ms Brumfitt said.
‘I know how it feels to be trolled and how it feels to have those naysayers but if we keep leading with light and love there’s nothing more powerful than that.’
Ms Dokic shared a similar message of love when calling out the online abuse she faced.
‘And it really doesn’t matter what I am doing and what happened because size shouldn’t matter. Kindness and being a good person matters, which those of you that abuse me and others, are clearly not,’ she said.
‘What matters is your online abuse,bullying and fat shaming.
‘That’s what matters because those of you that do it are just evil, bad, mean and ignorant people.’
Ms Brumfitt was announced as the Australian of the Year on Wednesday
The Left turns on our Australian of the Year: Shock as Mike Carlton says Taryn Brumfitt is just someone who ‘makes a buck out of saying it’s OK to be a bit fat’ – as fellow middle-aged male TV journalist agrees
Left wing commentator Mike Carlton has been slammed for his ‘ignorance’ after tweeting his low opinion of body image campaigner Taryn Brumfitt being made the 2023 Australian of the Year.
In a tweet posted after the announcement of Ms Brumfitt as the winner of the top Australia Day gong in Canberra on Wednesday night, Mr Carlton made his view of the decision known on his account with nearly 194,000 followers.
‘My Australian of the Year would be a doctor or nurse working nights in intensive care or the ED, dealing with COVID and daily death. Real, compassionate work. For very little money. NOT someone who makes a buck out of saying it’s ok to be a bit fat. Good night.’
His tweet was supported by left-wing former Channel 10 television reporter, Paul Bongiorno, who tweeted ‘Indeed’ underneath Mr Carlton’s post.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presents the award for 2023 Australian of the Year to body-image activist Taryn Brumfitt at the 2023 Australian of the Year Awards in Canberra
In a tweet posted after the announcement of Ms Brumfitt as the winner of the top Australia Day gong in Canberra on Wednesday night, veteran journalist Mike Carlton made his view of the decision known on his account with nearly 194,000 followers
Mr Carlton also tweeted ‘Who ? ? ?’ when news of Ms Brumfitt’s award first broke on Wednesday night
Twitter user Sharna Bremner said Mr Carlton and fellow journalist Paul Bongiorno, who tweeted in support of him, ‘should be ashamed of their ignorance & s****y remarks’
‘Every little girl should grow up seeing her mother naked’
Former bodybuilder Taryn Brumfitt regularly walks around her home naked
Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt has revealed how she regularly walks around naked in front of her two sons – Oliver, 11, and Cruz, 9 – and daughter Mikaela, 8.
The former bodybuilder turned activist believes it’s vital for them to know how a woman’s body changes with age and insists they are all comfortable with her nudity.
‘It’s something I do mainly for my daughter’s benefit,’ she says.
‘I know that, as a girl, it’s especially important she sees me unclothed — it facilitates an ongoing dialogue between us about the female body, and the way it changes throughout the course of a woman’s life.
‘In fact, I believe that every little girl should grow up seeing her mother naked on a regular basis.’
Carlton also tweeted ‘Who ? ? ?’ when news of Ms Brumfitt’s award first broke on Wednesday night.
But the tweets were met with a fierce response from women.
Sharna Bremner, the founder and director of End Rape on Campus Australia, tweeted in response: ‘Eating disorders are the third most common illness among young women in Australia & have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders,’ she posted.
‘These two should be ashamed of their ignorance & s****y remarks.’
‘Disgusting, ignorant old white men. F*** them,’ another person responded.
‘I’m really sad to see this, it shows how much more education is needed around eating disorders, and for men to understand the female experience of being reduced to ornamentation our whole lives,’ tweeted Sonya Semmens.
The negative reaction to his tweet caused Mr Carlton to begin blocking those who objected to his view of Ms Brumfitt’s award.
‘Must have blocked around sixty morons of one sort or another in the last 24 hours. But it’s a sunny day and I have better things to do,’ he posted early on Australia Day.
Ms Bremner also shared a screenshot in which Mr Carlton had blocked her from his account.
Ms Brumfitt, 44, an activist, writer, director and public speaker on a decade-long mission to change how we perceive ourselves, was crowned our top Aussie at a glittering ceremony in Canberra on Wednesday night.
The Body Image Movement, which she founded in 2012, teaches people – young women in particular – to love and appreciate their bodies and has taken her to a global audience from her humble hometown of Adelaide.
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