Soon after being crowned Miss Scotland, Linzi McLelland was attacked by online trolls who didn’t believe she represented how a Scottish woman should look.
The 24-year-old East Kilbride beauty was crowned Scotland’s poster girl last summer and won the esteemed title of Miss UK in December.
But with the glitz and glamour came negativity and hate, leaving the Emirates air hostess exposed to the ugly side of fame.
Telling us of her own cyberbullying hell, Linzi said: “Anyone who puts themselves in the public eye is vulnerable and opens themselves up to online trolls. But that doesn’t make it acceptable.
"Straight after I was crowned Miss Scotland I was reading an online pageant forum where I was verbally attacked for the way I looked. They said I did not portray how a Scottish woman should be.
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“Reading horrible things about yourself is never easy. I think of myself as a very strong person and would usually not worry about what people thought of me, but this really did upset me.
“I remember calling my mum crying and telling her what people had written. I’m lucky to have a strong support network I can turn to but not everyone does.”
Championing our anti-bullying campaign, Linzi, from West Mains, said it’s important to take a stance and make it clear there is “no place for bullying” in our community.
She added: “The days of ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me’ is dated.
“We know how dangerous words can be to someone’s mental health. No one has the right to make anyone feel like they are not worthy and, with the awareness from the EK News, I am sure we can make a difference.
“Social media is a useful tool if used correctly, but it is a breeding ground for negativity and hate. We need more awareness and education on bullying on social media.”
Miss Scotland uses her new-found fame to champion good mental health after tragically losing her dad, Jim, to suicide in 2014.
She has raised thousands of pounds for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) in tribute to him.
More recently, Linzi continued her suicide awareness work by speaking in Westminster and has undergone mental health training with St Andrew’s First Aid, for whom she is now an ambassador.
She told the News: “It kills me knowing I’ll never see my dad again, but what breaks my heart is thinking of the pain he must have felt to go through this alone.
“He suffered in silence and this is what makes me so determined to get to message out there that no one should be ashamed to talk about their feelings.
“People in crisis need to know that there are services out there to help them overcome any issues they face.
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“Taking your own life may seem like the only way out, but any illness is curable with the right treatment – the pain is only temporary and will go away with time and help.
“I think we all have a responsibility to do more to tackle online abuse. The government needs to implement more awareness in schools and social media platforms really do need tougher screening on what people are posting – especially Facebook. The videos and photos that come up on your newsfeed can be disgusting and really disturbing.”
Linzi also hit back at critics of our awareness campaign, adding it is “extremely important the media reports on these issues, they should be brought into the mainstream”.
Pledge your support to your community and join our campaign online at www.eastkilbridenews.co.uk/stampoutbullying
