The Internet can be a cruel place, and a high school student who thought she could share her prom photos on Facebook learned that the hard way. Last week 17-year-old Tayja Jones of Pottsgrove, Pa., attended Pottsgrove High School’s prom, and after she posted her photo, nasty comments started rolling in.
Tayja is still having a hard time dealing with the criticism and taunts she received online, but she still had words of encouragement for others dealing with cyberbullying.
“I made a status when I came home from the prom that night, and it said I enjoyed myself and I’m happy. I had fun,” Tayja stated. But then her photo went viral.
“There were just, like, so many rude remarks and negative comments about how I looked. People I didn’t know, just, like, ‘That dress is not for her; she looks like a fat something,’” Tayja recalls.
The comments included remarks like the one below, about her looks and weight.
“It was just really hurtful because I was so confident the day before, and it just changed my view of myself,” she said.
“She was just really depressed and sad. She doesn’t want to go out the house. She doesn’t want to go to school. She doesn’t want to go nowhere,” said her mother, Natina Parker.
But there are those who have stood up for Tayja. Tweets filled with encouragement have been rolling in, including one from a celebrity. Tayja’s story caught the eye of Kelly Rowland:
https://twitter.com/KELLYROWLAND/status/727565350506745856https://twitter.com/EnClaudeNeuf/status/727052936057098240https://twitter.com/AriiMx/status/727166513820631042
“You’re not the only person. You should know who you are inside, and the outside shouldn’t affect the inner you. Just stay strong,” she said.