A former Green Bay Packers cheerleader is taking a stand against cyber bullying. Kaitlyn Collins, who cheered for the Packers in 2009, was recently the victim of cyber bullying when a photo of her was posted on the Chicago Bears Fan page on Facebook.
According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, a Facebook user posted a photo of Collins on Monday with the following caption: “Like If You Agree The Packers Have The Worst Cheerleaders In The NFL!”
The photo was then littered with comments that said horrible things about Collins, with many Facebook users calling her “ugly” and worse. Rather than ignoring it, Collins decided to fight back against cyber bullying by creating a silent YouTube video, during which she held up signs that showed some of the nasty things people posted about her. She also showed quotes from people who had come to her defense and thanked them for their support.
“So blessed to have such wonderful friends and family standing behind me and backing me up,” Collins wrote on her own Facebook page on Wednesday. “No matter how strong and confident a person can appear, we are still human and negativity does affect us. We can stay strong and stand tall or we can crumble. I am choosing to stand against these bullies.”
The Chicago Bears Fan page deleted the photo on Thursday and the administrators apologized, making it clear that they don’t condone people who “like” their page making such a classless display.
“The picture of the Green Bay Cheerleader has been removed,” the page said. “For everyone on this page. We do not condone or encourage bullying. We would like to ask that you keep it classy. We understand you are hard core fans, but there’s no need for bullying. We apologize for any hard feelings and encourage everyone to keep this page as a fun experience.”
Collins’ YouTube video currently has nearly 200,000 views, so clearly her message is spreading. Cyber bullying has become a major issue in today’s society and seemingly gets worse by the year. Like the fans who sent those incredibly insensitive tweets to Torrey Smith have shown us, hiding behind a computer and insulting people is easy. Props to Collins for taking a stand against it on behalf of all the people who are affected.
H/T SbB Live
