We have sadly been seeing a pattern lately of women being attacked, harassed and bullied online. Everything from nudes being released to hacking to people sending posts on social media saying horrible and illogical things about the woman in question. Something I am sad to announce though is that the attack on Leslie is the most horrific one I have seen yet online. According to the New York Times, Leslie not only got her website hacked with photos of the gorilla Harambe who was killed at the Cincinnati Zoo, but also her personal information released such as her passport, license, and other information. It has also been reported that nude photos of the actress were released as well. While it has not been 100 percent confirmed about if certain things posted to her hacked website are of Leslie's the address on the license did match one in the public records for her.
Leslie Jones is someone who should be celebrated and not ridiculed. These racist misogynistic bullies are not people whom should be given any kind of positivity or pass to say these sorts of things. While many celebrities face hecklers and cyber bullies this is actually the worst harassment online I have seen to date when looking back at the attacks of other female celebrities. While some have gotten nudes released or social media hacked, the fact that Leslie has had to deal with personal photos of herself, her website being hacked, comments online harassing her due to her role in the recent all female Ghostbusters film (she has been only "Ghostbuster" cast member to get such horrific treatment for her role), and also having possibly her personal information from her drivers license and passport leaked makes this probably the worse harassment I have seen of a celebrity online.
More people must start talking about this incident and standing up for Leslie. While I have seen countless support for white women actresses who have dealt with getting nudes released or harassment online. It is very racist and not at all feminist to only care about white women whom have been harassed. True feminist should be for equality and that means standing up for all women, men, children, etc. regardless of race or any other specifics. Equality is what true feminism is supposed to be about so I do not feel that those who wish to ignore or do not really care enough to talk about what is happening to Leslie should consider themselves true feminist. In the past I used to be more of an anti-feminist and I regret that. While I feel that we should not try to go overboard with feminism or turn into radical man hating feminist (which I have sadly seen on the internet), we should try to take back feminism from those people and make it as positive and equal as we can, which means being inclusive and defending everyone who has been wronged regardless of race.
Leslie is an amazing woman who has been in countless projects over the year. According to Biography.com, Leslie has been an writer and actor on Saturday Night Live (the second African American to be a cast member), has acted in films such as Trainwreck, Lottery Ticket, and her latest film, in which she was one of the stars of the film, Ghostbusters. Leslie is also set to do voice acting for the animated film Sing, releasing later this year and lending her acting skills for another role in the film Masterminds. While most famous for her comedy she has also been in a few shows besides SNL such as The Blacklist, Workaholics, Sullivan & Son, and many more. Leslie is a hilarious and amazing woman who can both perform and create comedic skits and sketches that have been viewed and enjoyed by millions. As of now she is set to do even more movies and seems to be getting more and more attention in Hollywood.
Leslie Jones's comedy, acting, and writing are things that should be what Hollywood and general public are talking about. Not any photos or information or ignorant harassment. While it is good to spread the word so that people know that these things are happening, it is sad that this had to happen to her and I hope that people can both spread word and stand up for Leslie against these vicious attacks, while also of course remembering and celebrating what we should be about Leslie like her ability to both write for and act in one of if not the largest sketch comedy show on Television ever or her hilarious and some may say groundbreaking role in the new Ghostbusters film. All of which Leslie got from her talent and passion.
Feminism is supposed to be about equality and part of that true equality means that when a group of women have been wronged in the same way (or even in a worse way than others in this case), you cannot just talk about one and not the other due to something like race. While what happened to people like Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities whose nudes or information has been leaked or getting constant online harassment is awful, to only defend a character or actress or actor when they are white and not seem to care about a character or actress or actor who is a person of color when the same thing or worse happens to them is ignorant, racist, and against what true feminism and equality is supposed to be about. Leslie Jones is an amazing actress who should be celebrated for her talent in the comedy acting and writing industry. It is sad that many people may only start knowing or caring about Leslie after these attacks, however I do hope that the FBI will be able to catch the person who did this and that we as people can celebrate Leslie for her amazing abilities as a comedian, writer, and actress, while also coming to her defense against those who have leaked personal information about her online, hacked her website, and/or have said horrible comments about her. All these things should have never happened to her in the first place, but now that they have it is up to everyone to stand up and defend Leslie Jones against these racist misogynistic comments and these horrible instances of hacking and invasion of privacy. I stand with Leslie and I feel you should too.
