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Powers' Olesya Rulin has a message for men who send her harassing comments online

Powers' Olesya Rulin has a message for men who send her harassing comments online

Powers’ Olesya Rulin has a message for men who send her harassing comments online

Olesya Rulin (PowersHigh School Musical) has a message for men who are harassing her online, especially the older ones. She just posted an Insta Story on her Instagram page about the jerks who send her creepy comments, and why it freaks her out. Check it out below.

Rulin said, “Hi, I’d just like to leave a message to any men that follow me on Instagram that are older, and by older, I mean twenty years older than me, which, I’m 31, 32 in March. It’s really not okay, the comments you guys leave. That being said, telling me that I’m cute, that I’m adorable, that you want to hold me and lick my feet and all these really gross sexual things, why? Do you think I like that? I don’t like it. I don’t enjoy it. Most of the time, I delete your comments. It’s gross. And what scares me and actually makes me feel really uncomfortable is the fact that you probably think I’m a lot younger than I am, and that’s not okay. Please respect yourselves enough not to leave gross comments. It’s just…there’s no reason for it. I think we’ve got enough going on on the planet. And if that’s how you’re wasting your time, I mean, you need to really evaluate some things. It’s just time to be more respectful.”

Many people on social media have spoken about harassment (and every story is important), but this one has a specific message. As Rulin says, “Do you think I like that? I don’t like it. I don’t enjoy it.” The thing is, no one does. I’ve always wondered if there are guys out there who think we do. I’ve wondered about it since my friends and I were whistled it at the age of seven from guys in passing trucks. There are men who do this just to make you feel small, but I’m curious about the men who think it’s going to get some result, or think we’re going to appreciate it in some way. You know, the ones who say things like, “Oh, you wouldn’t post pics like that if you didn’t want those comments.” I’ve gotten those myself. You know what? That’s the same thing as saying that we were looking for rape because of what we were wearing. It’s the same thing as Anita Sarkeesian being told to get a less dangerous job when she was harassed, like she was asking for it by speaking her mind. It’s the same thing as being told we should expect this stuff if we have a certain career, leave the house at night, talk back — you know the drill.

I’m posting this because I want the message out there, but also because I want to hear from you. Tell me your stories about similar experiences and how you’ve handled them. (Anonymously is absolutely fine, of course!) I’d love to hear solutions you’ve used, or ones you’ve heard from others. Rulin spoke out. Have you? Have your friends? Do you post names? Do you fire back? Let’s help each other handle this and change things! Thank you, Olesya, for speaking out!

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Jenna Busch

Jenna Busch is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Legion of Leia and has hosted and written for sites like Nerdist, ComingSoon.net, Metro, Birth. Movies. Death., IGN, AOL, Huffington Post and more. She co-hosted Cocktails With Stan with the legendary Stan Lee and has appeared on Attack of the Show, Fresh Ink, Tabletop with Wil Wheaton, in the documentary She Makes Comics, on NPR and Al Jazeera America, and has covered film/TV/gaming/comics for years. She's currently a co-host on Most Craved. She's been published in the comics anthology Womanthology, is a chapter author for Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind, Game of Thrones Psychology and Star Trek Psychology and more, and owns a terrifying amount of swords and 20-sided dice. There are also those My Little Pony trailer voice overs that give one nightmares.

4 CommentsLeave a comment

  • In Olesya’s post she says “I’d just like to leave a message to any men that follow me on Instagram that are older, and by older, I mean twenty years older than me”

    In your post you write “has a message for men who are harassing her online, especially the older ones.”

    And you in title your post “has a message for men” completely dropping any mention of age.

    I think you have recast the original complaint somewhat. Olesya’s post is clearly more about how it is gross when old men post flirtatious or sexual things than the general rebuke of online harassment you claim it is.

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