You don’t have to support Hailey Bieber to know this endless online abuse is too much

Right now, TikTok is rammed with thousand of videos designed to humiliate and hurt Hailey Bieber because she’s been accused of shading Justin Bieber’s ex, Selena Gomez. Anyone in possession of a smartphone has seen this content multiple times a day. It’s inescapable and it’s getting problematic.

If you need a rundown of the supposed drama, you can find that here. Basically, it all comes down to some copy cat behaviour and a pair of laminated eyebrows. And, to be totally honest, what’s more significant and alarming is the endless online abuse that’s been aimed at Hailey over the last week.

In TikToks, Instagram comments, and Tweets, Hailey’s been called “vile”, “ugly”, a “nepo baby bitch” and far worse that’s too horrible to share here. The deeper you go, the darker it gets. But it doesn’t take much digging to find remarks that would have you lying awake at night.

Image credit via Instagram (@haileybieber)

Content creators chasing TikTok clout have been fuelling the internet’s scary hatred by digging for and compiling Hailey’s most “embarrassing” moments in multi-part series: Swarms of paparazzi pushing her over. Footage of her crying on her birthday. Justin not looking back as she falls down in the street.

All micro moments of this woman’s life, her appearance, her mannerisms, her sadness are being analysed and laughed at by thousands of strangers. That is online bullying and abuse.

“If I was Hailey Bieber and I logged onto TikTok right now I would have a mental breakdown,” noted one person on Twitter. “I am not commenting on any behaviours of either party, but no one should be publicly picked apart like this. It’s cruel.”

why is it hailey bieber needs to stop bullying selena gomez but the whole internet can bully hailey bieber explain that one to me

— arielle*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ (@RUlNMAKEUP) March 3, 2023

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Fundamentally, the ready willingness to pick sides and take part in the cat fight narrative between Hailey and Selena is unkind and, actually, misogynistic.

When Harry Styles allegedly spat on Chris Pine at Venice Film Festival last year, nobody was calling either of those men a “bitch”. But the internet loves a woman to hate on. We’ll troll and humiliate and attack any woman accused of wrongdoing without evidence or sympathy.

And the worst part is, this behaviour spreads. The hatred and ridicule of Hailey Bieber won’t stop with her. This weekend, Selena stans told Maddison Beer her puppy had died because she deserved karma for taking Hailey out to dinner in the same restaurant as Selena in 2020.

I don’t care about Hailey Bieber but eventually we need to talk about Tik Tok’s obsession with ganging up on women. They always find someone to collectively attack and humiliate to an extreme level. I was only on that app for 10 mins and every other video was about Hailey pic.twitter.com/g3sWUuytMg

— CLOSED. (@cocainecross) March 2, 2023

Under every Instagram Hailey has posted over the last week, the comments are the same. “Mean girl,” trolls and Selena stans call her again and again, seemingly unaware of the fact they’re being very public hypocrites.

You don’t have to support, or even like, Hailey Bieber to know the level of hate being directed at her is disproportionate punishment for anything she may or may not have said or schemed against Selena Gomez over the past decade.

And anyone who’s a real fan of Selena would know that revenge bullying is not the right move: “Please, please be kinder and consider others mental health,” she wrote in her own TikTok comments on Sunday. “My heart has been heavy and I only want good for everyone.”

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner have lost a combined 800k followers since the Selena Gomez drama

• A rundown of all the eyebrow drama between Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner

• A rundown of all the drama between Selena Gomez and Francia Raisa

Featured image credit via Instagram @haileybieber