As a seasoned gamer who has navigated countless virtual worlds and their respective communities, I can empathize with Charity Lawson‘s experiences. Her journey on Dancing With the Stars underscores the harsh realities that many public figures face when stepping into the limelight.
Former contestants Charity Lawson, who appeared on both “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” has spoken candidly about her experiences with cyberbullying while participating in “Dancing with the Stars.”
During an episode of Cheryl Burke’s podcast titled “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans,” Lawson commended her therapist within Bachelor Nation for providing valuable guidance throughout the process. When Burke inquired whether Dancing With the Stars might have profited from having a mental health expert on set, Lawson enthusiastically responded, “Yes, I’m really glad you brought that up.”
The ex-contestant from Bachelor Nation told the previous Dancing With the Stars professional that she was taken aback they didn’t have those resources, as her time on the dancing competition was enjoyable, but she experienced severe struggles with her mental health during the show, which she described as a “journey to hell and back.”
After her stint as the Bachelorette, Lawson felt ready for online comments regarding her personal life. She believed participating in Dancing With the Stars would be a breeze compared to that. However, she discovered it was “far more challenging” than her experiences on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.
“Lawson revealed that she had received severe threats for simply existing, Burke inquired about the reason behind these extreme actions. Lawson explained that fans may have reacted this way due to their opinions of her, such as believing she wasn’t doing enough, viewing her as arrogant, feeling entitled, or considering her the most disagreeable cast member.”
Lawson revealed that she had previously kept silent about this particular experience. She explained, “I chose to safeguard my tranquility by avoiding any engagement with it.” She added, “The harm it caused was relentless, day after day.” This was the first occasion when she publicly addressed the matter beyond sharing her brother Nehemiah’s anti-hate comments on his Instagram Stories.
Lawson additionally mentioned that although she screened and removed hurtful comments on her personal social media platforms, the official Dancing With the Stars pages continued to display negative feedback. This is where the emotional and mental strain (that impacted me during the show) became particularly intense, she reminisced.
Previously competing contestant found herself confiding in her dance companion, Artem Chigvintsev, because she was unsure of how to handle and move forward through this particular predicament that the other competitors hadn’t encountered yet. She mentioned that he had been unaware that his partner was facing such difficulties until she brought it up herself.
As a gamer, I’d put it like this: “Being a Black woman in the public eye, especially when you’re on a reality TV show, isn’t just another level of gaming – it’s more like navigating an unprotected zone where the same challenges keep popping up.”
In the perspective of Lawson, the video clips from ‘DWTS’ fueled additional online hatred due to their edits, which made it appear as if she was boasting about her scores, when in truth she was just relaying them upon request. She found it quite aggravating when she noticed her videos being portrayed in this manner; it gave an unfair impression to the viewers that she only cares about scores and thinks she’s superior to others.
During certain stages of the contest, she contemplated deliberately messing up and getting eliminated so the harassment could stop. However, she chose to persevere in the competition as a tribute to her dedication, rather than giving up.
Back in 2023, I found myself competing in season 32 of DWTS. The talented Xochitl Gomez, known for her role as America’s newest Doctor Strange, and pro Val Chmerkovskiy took home the mirrorball trophy that year. While I ended up placing fourth, I was grateful for the encouraging words and constructive feedback from the judges throughout the season.
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2024-07-30 23:54