Social Media Lies and the Case of Britt McHenry

Okay, so Britt McHenry is a not a wellness blogger.  If you're like me, then you have probably never even heard of her.  In fact, the only reason I know about her is because she had an epic meltdown at a tow yard and the whole thing was caught on camera.  She is a sports reporter for ESPN, and like all people with a career on television, she has a strong social media presence.  She has a sweet blog where she implores women to place intelligence above looks.  Indeed, she is so supportive of this notion that she bravely posts of photo of herself without (gasp!) make-up. She rails against sexism and opines that it is no wonder that there is still such an issue with gender equality when women are expected to sexually debase themselves in order to sell cheeseburgers.  Her blog also has the usual stuff about loving yourself, living in the moment, and being positive.  Why this Britt woman seems like such a great lady!  What a wonderful way to use her fame to inspire other women to be better people.  There are also some really lovely pictures of her smiling authentically and posing with people who seem delighted to be in her presence.  She must be super!  All young women should go to her for inspiration.  I mean, she is just such a wonderful human being!  It is obvious from the stuff she puts on her blog that she is!

Well, it turns out that in reality, and not in the fantasy that is social media, Britt McHenry does not feel that way at all.  She is actually looksist, elitist, and mean.  She is a nasty person who looks down on other people, especially fat women who work in blue-collar jobs.  She cusses out strangers, and flips the bird when she gets upset.  And it was all caught on camera.

At the tow yard, she blasts the woman working there for "having no education, no skill set," telling her that being at that place "makes her skin crawl" and reminding the woman that "I have a brain and you don't."  The other woman cannot be seen, but ostensibly she does not have Hollywood veneers like Britt, who goes on to conclude that "maybe if [she] were missing some teeth" that they would hire her to work there.  But that is not enough for her, she further goes on to tell the attendant, "I'm on television and you're in a f**king trailer, honey."  Never fear though, for Britt has a final bit of advice for the woman so that she can come closer to being as fantastic as Britt.  "Lose some weight, baby girl," she admonishes, before stomping off.  On her final exit from the tow yard, she flips off the camera as she leaves.

Now I get it.  Having your car towed sucks.  It is a big hassle and you essentially feel held hostage by the tow company until you pay to get your car out.  You probably missed appointments, and worst of all your transportation has been taken from you.  Maybe you felt that you had parked legally and so you're feeling like the whole thing is a massive injustice on top of it all.  Perhaps you get a little snippy with the people working there.  Sure, we all lose our cool sometimes.  But what Britt did went far beyond just "losing her cool."  Would any of you talk to another person like this, no matter how stressful the situation?  I doubt it.  You might utter an uncalled for "goddamnit" or perhaps you might inform the person working there that you find the fine too high, or that you had a lot of stuff to do that day, but would you insult their appearance, their job and the conditions of their workplace?  Only a person who goes about her life thinking that way would do that.  Britt, it turns out, has a very negative and sad mind.  Her outlook on life is actually snobbish and mean.  Her "sweet" look is just a cover for a person who throws the word "f**k" at a perfect stranger and then fat-shames her so that she can regain the upper hand.  She is quite simply, just not a very good person.

I use this case to illustrate the problem with social media and how is it easy for a person to manipulate their image.  This is the biggest problem with the current social media wellness bloggers. Their image is created entirely through social media, and likely has very little connection to reality. At least Britt McHenry just asks athletes what it took to win the game; wellness bloggers tell people how to cure cancer.