Aussie Instagram star gets grovelling apology from online trolls

An Instagram star who was told she should die by online trolls has forced their ringleader to apologise.

Rebecca Lee, 31, was horrified when one of her 43,000 Instagram followers revealed her selfie was being shared on a Reddit page that exposes Instagram users for editing their pictures – attracting comments such as “kill it with fire”.

But the online influencer and office manager from Sydney, took matters into her own hands by creating a brand new Reddit account so she could call out the bully.

Amazingly, Rebecca was stunned when the female troll responded with a heartfelt apology explaining she had deleted the post and would be “re-evaluating her actions”.

“I’m a strong person, I have been through a lot in my life, but imagine if I wasn’t,” Rebecca said reflecting on the online hate.

“Imagine if I was some vulnerable girl who hated herself and she saw that someone had done that.”

Which is what prompted Rebecca to hit back at the online trolls.

In a direct response to the person who went under the name ‘Stephanie’ online – who had also posted her photo in the same thread – Rebecca wrote: “You have taken a stranger’s photo, my photo, without thinking I would find out about it.

“You are a real piece of work – I wonder if your friends, family and employer know that you’re this type of person?”

Within an hour, Rebecca’s confrontational warning had struck a chord with Stephanie, as she immediately started apologising.

“I apologise for hurting you, I have removed the post,” she responded.

“Please understand that my intent was not to make fun of you, and I am truly sorry for hurting you.”

Determined Rebecca said she was surprised to receive an apology, and even felt sorry for the person –who she believes must have been struggling in her own life to resort to lashing out at someone else.

This was not her first rodeo with bullies as, having previously dropped from 144kg, she said her weight loss journey taught her to ignore negativity.

Through her recent experience, Rebecca has encouraged people be wary of their “digital footprint”.

“I hope I’ve made people stop and think about their actions,” she said. “There’s always people watching, the internet is like your digital footprint.

“There’s so much badness in the world, we don’t need more bitterness and hostility.”

Reporting by Caters News

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