Had to turn the comments off on this due to the vile misogyny, including abusive or sexual comments about how we look. Was literally just sharing a nice update including those I admire and respect. Look at the hidden replies, and you will see the problem. None of the vicious, degrading or personal comments are aimed at the men. One relentless stalker went particularly hard on my appearance whilst making up crazy nonsense about me. He must have a folder of screenshotted photos of me going back many years and endlessly logs my online activity, he even plots my account stats, not even I do that! It’s dangerous, pathological behaviour. The police agree it’s harassment. Alarmingly, he claims to have daughters and wife. I wonder how (if that’s true) they’d feel about their dad obsessively harassing a woman daily on Twitter for no reason whatsoever? Me occasionally reacting to being subjected to disgusting remarks, by giving them a taste of their own medicine, is not in any way equivalent to the disgraceful behaviour of the hundreds of accounts instigating it every day. This is a part of the reason the world is so dangerous for women, the men capable of this aren’t mythical monsters, they aren’t animals, they’re everyday men and they are everywhere. Almost all women who put their head above the parapet face this online. Much like Gisele’s husband (I’m not referring to her by her abusers surname) the men that viciously abuse women online are probably often only sitting a few feet from their wives or daughters, or near unsuspecting women in pubs or in cafes. The point is, they walk amongst us and they help a culture of violence against women to continue. I’m not saying the two crimes are equivalent, I’m noting that the mindset of the men involved is the same. The overarching similarity and motivation is a hatred of women, the idea that we need to shut up, be brought down a peg or two, or even worse, be punished for existing. Much like the man at the station that ignored my clear no, regarding a conversation. Then the man, sitting next to his napping wife and daughter on the train who stared at me and looked me up and down, repeatedly, to the point I was forced to change seats. I was moments away from causing a scene, I’m actually on the precipice of publicly yelling whenever this happens. Because I’ve fucking had it. Because, on their part, this is about power. I’m at the point of snatching it back. Simply not doing this isn’t enough if you’re a man, you need to actively confront this behaviour in other men. I’m talking more than usual about women’s rights lately because I’m, like most women, exhausted by the despicable headlines. I have a voice and numerous platforms which I can (and will) use to call this shit out. It’s unfortunately, in 99% of cases, only other women taking a stand. It is beyond exhausting, the level of harassment and intimidation that women have to wade through (mostly from men) just to live our lives, let alone have a hope of being heard, is despicable. I generally pity anybody whose life is so empty and unhappy that they have to harass a woman online just to temporarily feel good about themselves. Imagine how they spend their days, truly pathetic. I’m definitely not placating or excusing harassment. It is cowardly, contemptible behaviour that requires suitably brutal consequences. What you’re seeing on Twitter isn’t free speech, it’s simply how dangerous men behave when they don’t think they will face consequences.