A disabled journalist has hit back at social media trolls who said she should be "banned" from taking pictures because she was "too ugly".
Melissa Blake, 38, who was born with Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, took three defiant selfies in response to the hate.
A person with the disorder may suffer from joint deformities and abnormal facial features, such as a small mouth, a short nose and a prominent forehead. People may also suffer from speech, respiratory and eating problems.
- How to stop your child becoming an internet troll, according to an expert
- Police Association under fire over its latest magazine cover comparing gun lobby to trolls
According to the National Institute of Health, there is no specific treatment or cure for the disorder at this time.
Blake is open and transparent about living with her disability on her blog, but was forced to confront cruel commenters when her opinion piece about unfollowing President Trump was reportedly mentioned on an unnamed controversial Youtube channel.
The mention sparked a barrage of offensive comments, which Blake shared on her Twitter page in August.
The commenters compared her to a "blobfish", "a land whale" and a "potato".
"Melissa Blake looks exactly like I'd expect her to look, which is really freaking hilarious," one person wrote.
"I think I just saw Mrs Potato Head Fake Journalist," commented another person.
Blake posted screenshots of the comments with a reminder.
"Reminder that this is what it's like to be a disabled woman writer on the internet," Blake wrote.
"People wonder why I've struggled so much with self-acceptance when it comes to how I look and our society's notion of what 'beautiful' is. It's because of comments like these - comments that dismiss me and deem me unworthy," she continued in the Twitter thread.
"Please let us be better than this."
- Woman's brutal response to Reddit trolls over beauty-shaming
- 'Something needs to be done': Jason Gunn's emotional message for 'sickening' trolls
A month later, Blake decided to "commemorate trollgate" by showing the world her face.
"During the last round of trollgate, people said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I am too ugly. So I'd just like to commemorate the occasion with these three selfies…"
Blake's selfies have gone viral since the time of posting, receiving 21,100 retweets and 246,200 likes.
Compliments, instead of insults, have come pouring in for the "brave" and "beautiful" journalist.
"Melissa is a QUEEN who has no time for haters," one person wrote.
"They hate themselves and take it out on others. Anyone that wants to hurt you with words is irrelevant. You were not put here on this earth to get defined by a bunch of people that get off by bullying people. Consider the source of judgment always, and know you are loved," another supportive Twitter user wrote.
- 'Are you a perfect parent?' Pink lashes out at Instagram trolls
- Magazine cover featuring armed troll taken out of context - Police Association
Blake has tweeted that she is "completely speechless" from the overwhelming support of Twitter users across the globe.
"Thank you again, friends! I'm completely speechless, which is rare for me!" she wrote.
According to the Daily Mail, some Twitters users are calling for Blake to share her story on The Ellen Show.
Newshub.
