She’s been in the spotlight for over a decade, so Ricki-Lee Coulter is no stranger to criticism. But the ‘constant barrage of judgement’ and negativity about her weight, her appearance and even her relationship has significantly worsened in recent years.
But rather than let it get to her, the 29 year old spoke to the Today Show about how she’s determined to stand up to haters.
“I started in this industry when I was 18 and I learnt very, very quickly that you just can’t take personally what people say. Not everybody is going to love you, there are going to be people who don’t like you and have something nasty to say, and really for me it’s always just water off a duck’s back,” she told The Today Show.
“I don’t let it affect me, or I try not to anyway and it’s hard sometimes when you have a constant barrage of judgement and negativity but I choose to look at the positive and I’m not afraid to share a picture of myself with no makeup on, I don’t care if someone calls me ugly – that’s the least of my worries!”
An avid social media user herself, Coulter has the selfie to prove it. The 29 year old shared a ‘before and after’ image minutes before appearing on the show.
Fans were quick to praise Coulter, leaving comments saying "Both beautiful and both you" and "Perfect before and perfect after".
While this is great to see, Coulter also said she had some concerns about people who use social media to boost their self-esteem. (Post continues after gallery.)
Ricki-Lee Instagram
"I think it can get dangerous when people look for self-worth in validation from others. I think you have to know who you are and love yourself and believe in yourself and have that self worth before and not needing that validation from anyone else," she said.
"I think that's the most important thing because social media can be such a trap of getting that praise and love and people posting really beautiful photos all the time and often they're retouched - and why do you care what strangers think?" (Post continues after video.)
It's an attitude Coulter has had to employ many times, the most recent being just last week when she posted a candid picture of her freckles in memory of her grandfather - before she was immediately attacked.
"I'd come back from Europe for my honeymoon and my freckles were super out there and I looked in the mirror and it reminded me of when I was a little girl and my pop said to me 'Oh freckles are just beauty spots and girls with lots of freckles are special' and it was just a nice moment that I remembered," she told The Today Show.
That memory was tarnished by commentors who left messages like "You one ugly b*tch without make up," and "You are full of sh*t. Freckles are just that and no amount of platitudes will make them sun kisses."
Proving that she lives by her own advice, Coulter put the trolls back in their place (classily, of course) with a message in response.
"It makes me so sad that there are people out there that are so miserable in their own lives that they will turn a candid moment and a beautiful memory into something negative and nasty. Please – do me and everyone else here a favour and unlike my page, then go and get yourself a life."
We second that.
How do you deal with negativity online?