Anna Saccone, the YouTube sensation has revealed the cruel online abuse she has endured since losing her third child two months ago.
The beauty and lifestyle vlogger, who is mum to Emilia and Eduardo shared an emotional video chronicling her struggle with bullying and explaining her decision to take a break from YouTube.
For Anna, the decision could not have been undertaken lightly. The social media star has amassed a huge social media following of 1.3 million Instagram followers, 1 million YouTube subscribers, and 433K Twitter followers. Her popular videos cover everything from makeup tutorials, home baking, and family life in London and garner hundreds of thousands of views every week.
She described being “nervous” making her video, Why I Quit YouTube which has since been viewed more than 1 million times.
“I don’t know where to even begin with this video,” she told her followers looking fragile.
“I am nervous… because it’s opening myself up more.”
She recognises that negative comments are something of an occupational hazard for Internet celebrities, though as many of us ‘civilians’ using social media can attest attacks in the comments sections can be leveled at anyone (oh the joys of the Internet…).
“I choose to make these videos, and I choose to put my life out there, not all of it but some of it.”
Anna went on to describe how in the wake of her recent miscarriage the comments began to push her to breaking point.
“When things are going okay in life, I could kind of brush the negative comments off… but when something dramatic and scary and not very nice happens in your life, I find that (the comments) made it a hundred times worse.”
She spoke about her efforts to stay well mentally after the devastating loss, creating fitness videos and keeping herself busy.
“I really wanted to not let (the miscarriage) engulf me or take over, but about a month or so after it, I started to have really negative emotions about it.”
“I haven’t looked at comments on videos in a long time because they were really affecting me.”
“Every time I open a full-length picture of me on my Instagram I’ve got body shaming comments and fat shaming comments. Some people even set up a hashtag, #SaveObeseAnna.”
She related her disbelief at the cruelty of attacking a vulnerable person, grieving a loss.
“Bash me all you want when things are fine in my life, but when I’ve just lost a baby…”
“I carried a child for 11 weeks and miscarried. To me, that was my child. I felt empty inside. And then to be attacked by all these people and have videos made about me and all the fat-shaming comments and the body-shaming comments. It was just too much. I felt like I was literally going insane.”
Anna also revealed a long-held struggle with disordered eating, which of course makes her even more vulnerable to body shaming comments.
Many of Anna’s fans have come out in support of the mom, sharing messages of comfort and support in the comments section.
Watch the full video Why I Quit YouTube here.
