1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:01,280 Speaker 1: This is Outspoken. 2 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 2: The podcast is not afraid to say exactly what you're thinking. 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Our names are Amy Kate and Sophie Torber. 4 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 2: We're identical triplets, but we often don't have identical opinions, 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 2: so sometimes things can get heated. Outspoken covers all things 6 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 2: reality TV, influencers, entertainment and issues facing women that is 7 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 2: so fat. 8 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 3: Thank you. 9 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 2: Welcome to our under the influenced edition of Outspoken. Today 10 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 2: on the show, we're joined by the amazing Scherie Luise. 11 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: The twenty eight year old from Melbourne is a model, 12 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:35,599 Speaker 1: writer and. 13 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,919 Speaker 2: Disability advocate who isn't afraid to stand up for what 14 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 2: she believes in. At just six years of age, Chari 15 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 2: sadly lost her leg to cancer, and just last year 16 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 2: she was cast into the media spotlight after vile trolls 17 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,880 Speaker 2: bullied her for merely revealing the fact she's an amputee. 18 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: Cherie's model in life is simple. 19 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 2: She's not here to inspire abled bodied people, but she's 20 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 2: here to help those that are disabled. We spoke with 21 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 2: talented and funny and kind twenty eight year old fresh 22 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 2: from her first virtual runway show for lingerie brand Bluebella. 23 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 2: We thought we'd get into today's episode by firstly asking 24 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 2: how you've been navigating your ISO life so far. 25 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 3: I've been doing pretty well, thanks Considering. You know, obviously 26 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 3: I speak only of my little bubble, which is my 27 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 3: own home. I know there's not so great things going 28 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,479 Speaker 3: on out there, but myself, I've been doing quite well. 29 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,399 Speaker 3: I've I get fatigued quite quickly, so I've been able 30 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 3: to get a lot of resting and ISO you know, 31 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 3: really working on just taking care of myself and working 32 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 3: on little projects and so on. So I've been even 33 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 3: quite well. Thanks Considering. 34 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 2: And are you able to fill listen a little bit 35 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 2: about your situation work wise, because we were speaking off 36 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 2: microphone about it and it's absolutely shocking what's going on. 37 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 3: Yeah. So basically I was working at a front of 38 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 3: house position, so dealing a lot with the public, and 39 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 3: we had a few staff members that got confirmed and 40 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 3: we were asking for some protective measures like screens and 41 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 3: stuff to be put up, and unfortunately we didn't get them, 42 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 3: and due to my you know, lacking immune system, I 43 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 3: decided that it would be best to me to stay 44 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 3: home somewhere that's safe. So, yeah, I had to leave 45 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 3: my job, and as so I've been focusing on writing. 46 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 3: I started a Patreon, and that's honestly how I am 47 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 3: living right now. I would not really be getting by 48 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 3: if it wasn't for that. So it's really pushed me 49 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 3: to kind of work on my own writing and my 50 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 3: advocacy as well. So it's a little bit of you know, 51 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 3: I hate saying blessing in disguise when it's a terrible 52 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 3: thing that's happening with COVID, but it's helped push me 53 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 3: in the right direction personally as well. 54 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, oh, that's a great way to look at it, 55 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 2: as I suppose of blessing in disguise, because sometimes such 56 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: positive things do come out of awful situations. For anyone interested, 57 00:02:57,919 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 2: what are you writing about in particular? 58 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 3: So I've started just writing about my life. So as 59 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 3: an ampute I get a lot of questions about what's 60 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 3: happened and what it was like and so on, and 61 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 3: I do. It can be quite draining to be answers 62 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 3: all the time and to have to repeat yourself when 63 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 3: you're not really in a position where you're prepared to 64 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 3: answer those questions. So I started my Patreon as a 65 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,839 Speaker 3: way to kind of document my experience and people who 66 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 3: are interested and are supporting me, I can share that 67 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 3: with them. Certain I decided to do that with a 68 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 3: Patreon because it's kind of a It's still on the 69 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 3: internet and so on. Anyone could share it if they 70 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 3: really wanted to, but the people that have immediate access 71 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 3: to it are people that are actually financially supporting me, 72 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 3: so I feel safer sharing them more intimate details with them. 73 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 3: If that makes sense. 74 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 2: Well, that's such a great idea because I know, being triplets, 75 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 2: we get asked some really bizarre questions and quite invasive questions. 76 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 2: And I'm sure it's probably nothing to the extent that 77 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 2: you get asked, but it's astonishing some of the questions 78 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 2: people feel the right to ask you. 79 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, Like the most common one is what happened to 80 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 3: your leg? And although people think that that is innocent 81 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:16,159 Speaker 3: or well meaning, it's actually it can be quite It 82 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 3: can throw you off. Like, for example, I can be 83 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 3: out at a bar with my friends and someone comes up. 84 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 3: They don't say hello, they don't ask what my name is, 85 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 3: they just go what happened? And then it's like, okay, well, 86 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,479 Speaker 3: I'm just having, you know, a cheeky drink, and now 87 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 3: you're bringing up the worst of my life. And it's 88 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 3: just like all you're going to do if I tell 89 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 3: you the answer, you're going to go, ah, that's so sad, 90 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,359 Speaker 3: Like no one's going to hear cancer and go oh cool. 91 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 3: You know, they're just going to go, oh, that's so sad. 92 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 3: They've got to look at me with a look of pity, 93 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 3: and then they're going to walk away and carry on 94 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 3: with air night. And you know, it's just unnecessary. I'm like, 95 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 3: you didn't gain anything out of that part from satisfying 96 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 3: your own curiosity, but you sprung me off of you know, 97 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,919 Speaker 3: wherever I was at with enjoying myself. So people, you know, 98 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 3: think it's well meaning to ask those questions, but they 99 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,359 Speaker 3: don't realize that it's like asking for your medical history 100 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 3: is asking it a really of trauma just out of 101 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 3: nowhere and without actually showing any interest in you. That 102 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 3: they don't know anything about me. They just won't know 103 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,479 Speaker 3: about that one thing, and then they walk away. And 104 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 3: then I'll also get questions, like fairly questions, you know, 105 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 3: like can you have sex and can you drive? Those 106 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 3: kinds of things, But it's just kind of like it's 107 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 3: all very I don't know, they just shallow question. 108 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I can't believe people can actually think they have 109 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 2: the right to come up and ask you that, because 110 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 2: I know, as Amy said, on a small scale, we 111 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 2: can understand because we have had the weirdest questions like 112 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 2: were you guys joined by the head? 113 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 1: Did you get your period at the same time? 114 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 3: What? Oh my god? 115 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 2: And we have our best friend who is normally around us, 116 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 2: and she I think is more tired of the questions 117 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 2: than we are. Do you have that friend that kind 118 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 2: of just answers them for you because you're just sick 119 00:05:58,240 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 2: of answering the question. 120 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:02,840 Speaker 3: Like when it comes to the questions, most of the time, 121 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 3: my friends will kind of just like raw their eyes. 122 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 3: They kind of look for me because they know that 123 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 3: I will respond however I want to respond, And it 124 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,159 Speaker 3: does very a lot. It depends on the situation I'm in, 125 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 3: if I'm what mood I'm in, If I'm in a 126 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 3: situation where I don't want to cause any like tension, 127 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 3: like I'm at a house party or something. You know, 128 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 3: when you've got to spend the rest of the night 129 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 3: around these people and you don't want to kill the vibe, 130 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 3: I'll kind of just tell them and then live on. 131 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 3: But if I'm out and I'm like around people, and 132 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 3: I can just kind of move on and get away 133 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 3: from whoever I don't like, I can just like it's 134 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 3: any business, or you know, just not tell them, where 135 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,479 Speaker 3: I can just bullshit them and say something completely false. 136 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 3: But it's just it depends. Like my friends usually look 137 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 3: to me to answer, but they more get bothered by 138 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 3: things that I ignore, Like when we're walking and about and 139 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 3: people are staring at me, my friends will get more 140 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 3: bothered than I am because I'm I taught myself how 141 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 3: to just block all of the staring out, whereas they're 142 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 3: not used to it, so they just see all of 143 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,039 Speaker 3: it and they just kind of take it all in, 144 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 3: whereas I'm just like, whatever, this is part of it. 145 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 3: If that makes sense. 146 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 2: Well, I feel a little invasive asking this question now, 147 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 2: But I suppose for those who haven't heard your story, 148 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 2: are you able to tell us, I suppose about that 149 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 2: life changing moment when you were six years old? 150 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, of course. I think it's important to note in 151 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 3: these situations where you know we've talked about that we're 152 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 3: going to be talking about these things. I'm prepared to 153 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 3: answer these questions, so I don't want you to feel 154 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 3: bad about asking these questions when there's something that I've 155 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 3: voluntarily gotten into as well. So basically, when I was 156 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 3: six years old, I started to experience Haines and my 157 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 3: hip and I was getting all kinds of temperatures and 158 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 3: so on. So we had a bunch of tests done. 159 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 3: I just remember lots of scams and lots of doctors. 160 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 3: I was six years old, like so, I don't remember 161 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 3: a lot, but I remember those things. And then I 162 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 3: remember being lunch Auckland that was a New Zealand at 163 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 3: the time, and Aucklands where the kind of country's biggest 164 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,679 Speaker 3: children's hospital is, so I got fun there. And then 165 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 3: I was sitting in the corridor at the hospital and 166 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 3: my parents were in a room with the doctors, and 167 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 3: they came out and then they told me I had cancer. 168 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 3: And I only knew what cancer was because not long 169 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 3: before that, I was watching TV and I saw a 170 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 3: little girl on TV with cancer, and I probably janxed myself. 171 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 3: I was like, how did I never get cancer? And 172 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 3: then next minute, so I got told that and I 173 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 3: knew what that was. And the only thing I knew 174 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 3: about cancer was that you lose your hair, So that's 175 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 3: what I immediately thought, I was, I'm going to lose 176 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:49,679 Speaker 3: my hair, freaking out. And it was a pretty messy time. 177 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 3: Like my parents were recently divorced, so they were dealing 178 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 3: with that, and then all of a sudden, you know, 179 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 3: your daughter's got cancer. So it was a very messy 180 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 3: time trying to navigate everything with my family as well. 181 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 3: And from there, you know, I was in hospital for 182 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 3: three months before my surgery, and they told me before 183 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 3: my surgery, they pulled me into a room to tell 184 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 3: me what could happen on the other end. So they 185 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 3: talked about having I, guess the cancer removed, and then 186 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 3: I would have issues with my leg and I would 187 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 3: spend a long time in a cast and that kind 188 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 3: of thing. So they started with the best case scenario, 189 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 3: and then I started to freak out and I stopped 190 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,720 Speaker 3: listening because I was just panicking, I guess, and I 191 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 3: didn't actually hear them when they told me that I 192 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 3: could actually lose my legs. So I went into my 193 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 3: surgery not knowing that that was a possibility, and they 194 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:50,079 Speaker 3: went out. Woke up, I found out that I had 195 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 3: lost my leg, and I was sort of freaking out 196 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 3: to my mum, being like, you didn't tell me, you 197 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 3: know that I could lose my leg and what's going on? 198 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 3: And she's something you know, we did, you just w 199 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 3: And I was only I was in ic you when 200 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 3: that happened. So but I was only in ICU for 201 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,560 Speaker 3: a day, and I just remember. I just remember that. 202 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 3: I just remember I kept coming in and out of 203 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 3: sleep and just like feeling my hip and being like, 204 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 3: what's going on? Because I gotn't quite comprehend it. Something 205 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 3: wasn't there. It felt like something was there, if that 206 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:22,719 Speaker 3: makes it, because it felt different, So I was like, 207 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 3: what's on my hip? But it was like month nothing there, 208 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 3: but so the weird feeling doing that, and then when 209 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 3: I got out it was just I don't remember much 210 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 3: after getting out of ICU in regards to being I 211 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 3: guess sad about in shock about losing my leg. I 212 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 3: think after that it was more just how do we 213 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 3: keep moving? What am I going to do? Like do 214 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:50,559 Speaker 3: I get a leg going? How am I going to 215 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 3: get around? And that kind of thing. So I also 216 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 3: didn't really yeah I did, because I feel like I 217 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 3: was just kind of going with it. I don't really 218 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 3: know what was going on. I didn't have a certain 219 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 3: way of life that was being interrupted, and I was 220 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 3: just taking it as it came. It didn't feel I 221 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,439 Speaker 3: don't know, it probably would have been a bit surreal 222 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 3: as opposed to being older and you've got a way 223 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,439 Speaker 3: of life and you've got all your habits and things 224 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,560 Speaker 3: that you do, and then you get thrown out of that. 225 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 3: So I feel like being a kid, it was probably 226 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 3: a lot easier for me to manage because I didn't 227 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 3: really understand the implications of life and death and loss 228 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 3: and all of that. 229 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:37,280 Speaker 2: Well, definitely, I mean, what was that like for you 230 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 2: having to go back to school and I suppose you 231 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 2: hadn't really thought about the fact you might lose your leg, 232 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 2: that this was obviously you're still processing all of this news, 233 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 2: because I feel like school can be horrendous enough without 234 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:53,679 Speaker 2: having something that makes you stand to stand out from others. 235 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, So when I went back to school, so I 236 00:11:57,440 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 3: think I was about I think I was like seven 237 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 3: by that I was seven and a half, maybe eight. 238 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 3: I can't remember. I'm like, I'm terrible with time. But 239 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:07,320 Speaker 3: now on the chemo because it affects your memory. So 240 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:11,200 Speaker 3: I complained that. But so I was in the hospital 241 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 3: for ten months all up. Then I got out, went 242 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:17,679 Speaker 3: home full clearance, like I didn't have the cancer comeback, 243 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 3: so I got through remission as a clean sweep, So 244 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 3: that was great. But I went back to school primary school, 245 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:28,440 Speaker 3: and the biggest thing I was worried about was that 246 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:30,840 Speaker 3: I had a wig, and I was really scared that 247 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 3: everyone would know that I had a wig. And then 248 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 3: I went back and primary school was pretty chill, like 249 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 3: because I was already in primary school when I got diagnosed. 250 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 3: So when I got diagnosed and I left, they had 251 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,320 Speaker 3: like a school assembly where they talked about me and 252 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:49,439 Speaker 3: what was happening and stuff. So the whole school kind 253 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 3: of already knew and they knew me before, and I 254 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 3: think that that made it more personal of a story, 255 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 3: Like they knew that I was going through something horrible 256 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 3: and then I come back, so it was kind of 257 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 3: I guess they were less likely to bully me because 258 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:10,200 Speaker 3: they'd all been waiting to hear what happened. So I 259 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 3: didn't have too much difficulty in primary school. Then a 260 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 3: New Zealer we have intermediate school, which is like two 261 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 3: years between primary and high school. Yeah, so that's when 262 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 3: you're like eleven twelve. So then I went on to 263 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:32,439 Speaker 3: intermediate school and things were okay there. I didn't really 264 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:35,840 Speaker 3: get bullied there. Oh actually I liked I got bullied 265 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 3: that I got like anonymous letters, really yeah, from a 266 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 3: girl in my class. I totally know who it was now, 267 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 3: but back then I didn't know. Like it was so 268 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:46,960 Speaker 3: obvious now that I look back on it, but like 269 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,959 Speaker 3: back then, it was this big mystery and everyone was 270 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,800 Speaker 3: trying to figure it out, like all the teachers and stuff. 271 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,200 Speaker 3: But she just wrote me like these anonymous letters, and 272 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 3: she was like pretending to be someone else, like she 273 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 3: was trying to frame this other girl. It was really nasty, 274 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 3: and she was just telling me how ugly I am 275 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 3: and because I have one leg and I'm just like 276 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 3: just like super nasty, like really long leaders. So like 277 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 3: she really went in. But she was obviously a very 278 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 3: sad girl. Like she wasn't you know, popular or anything 279 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 3: like that, so obviously a very sad, sad kid. And 280 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 3: when the kids are not older classes, they got shann 281 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 3: a letter as well, and they were all mortified and 282 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 3: they all stood up to me and you know, made 283 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 3: sure I was okay and stuff. So that was nice. 284 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 3: But I did get bullied, but it was always behind 285 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 3: my back or anonymous. The only time people would bully 286 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 3: me to my face, like even through high school. Right 287 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 3: got to high school and the people that would bully 288 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 3: me would be like strangers. So I'd be walking home 289 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 3: from school when a little kid would yell out names 290 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 3: at me, or my friends bullied me but behind my back, 291 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 3: like they would never like they would never ever talk 292 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 3: about my leg in front of me, and and I 293 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 3: later found out that I were all just like constantly 294 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 3: making leg jokes whenever I wasn't around. That kind of 295 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:07,800 Speaker 3: really fuck because we were really close. You know. 296 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,560 Speaker 2: Well, it broke my heart because I read somewhere that 297 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 2: you said when growing up you felt like you had 298 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 2: accepted the fact that you wouldn't end up with someone 299 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 2: and you'd be alone. 300 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 3: Can you tell us. 301 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 2: Through why you felt that way and why you felt 302 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 2: like you wouldn't find love during your teenage years. 303 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, So I think when I like when I came 304 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 3: to terms with it, I was probably more like I 305 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 3: was around ten years old probably when I came to 306 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 3: terms of it, Like there was a phase probably from 307 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 3: like you know, ege to ten eleven where I was 308 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 3: just every night or it was a set in bed 309 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 3: and I would look on old photos of myself and 310 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 3: just be sad and just be like, what the hell 311 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 3: was going to happen when I'm older? And so I 312 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 3: came up with this plan in my head. I was like, Okay, well, 313 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 3: you know, I'd never seen an amptity girl in a 314 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 3: relationship or in love, so I was like, Okay, that's 315 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 3: probably not gonna happens. So what we're going to do 316 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 3: is we're going to get rich. I'm going to get 317 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 3: a really cool job. It's not gonna matter. I love 318 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 3: that I had the whole plan. I was like, we're 319 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 3: gonna be alone, We're going to have like lots of pets, 320 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 3: and we're. 321 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 2: Going to be sweet, because that sounds pretty amazing. I 322 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 2: don't know a guy when you're rich with pets of me. 323 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 3: So that was my plan. But yeah, I definitely just think. 324 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 3: I definitely thought that I would never fall in love. 325 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 3: And like, my mum had a new partner around that time, 326 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 3: and I was just like seeing them fall in love 327 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 3: like really upset me because I was like, oh, I'm 328 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 3: never going to have that. So yeah, I spent a 329 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 3: lot of time being upset about that. And it was 330 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 3: obviously just because I'd never seen it before, Like it 331 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:48,040 Speaker 3: just wasn't a thing, you know. I was the only 332 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,760 Speaker 3: time I ever saw amputees was once a year on 333 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 3: the Paralympics, and that was it. I never saw any 334 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 3: love stories or anything. And the way I was kind of, 335 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 3: you know, I guess treated like it, you know, boy, 336 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 3: you know you want if people have school yard crushes 337 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 3: and stuff like that, it was never me. So I 338 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 3: was just like, well, all right, well I need to 339 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 3: come up with another plan. And that's what I did. 340 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:13,160 Speaker 3: And obviously I was wrong, like that's not how things 341 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:15,160 Speaker 3: were going to be when I got older, but that's 342 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:17,200 Speaker 3: definitely what I thought when I was a kid. 343 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:20,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, you just to put it out there. 344 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,720 Speaker 2: We've e gauged from social media that you do have 345 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 2: your own love story, is that right. We've still you 346 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,760 Speaker 2: on social media and really very loved in a really 347 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 2: awkward way, like I've seen your loved up photos. 348 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:40,959 Speaker 3: Yeah. So back when I think I was twenty at 349 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:42,680 Speaker 3: the time, So they were talking like eight years ago. 350 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 3: So I was loving the Gold Coast and I was 351 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:48,879 Speaker 3: visiting my best friend in Melbourne and she's telling me 352 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:50,879 Speaker 3: about a friend who just moved to the Gold Coast 353 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 3: and this is is quite a goods that I was 354 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:55,520 Speaker 3: actually in the process of moving to Melbourne, right, So 355 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 3: I'm like hanging with my best friend in Melbourne and 356 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 3: I've got a few months in till I move. And 357 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 3: she's like, oh, so, yeah, my friends moved up there. 358 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 3: I should hang out and I'm like, oh, yeah, cool, 359 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,120 Speaker 3: and she's telling me about him and then I'm like, oh, 360 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 3: I know that we follow each other on Twitter, so 361 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 3: we actually already kind of knew each other. So I 362 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 3: felt like, oh, that's cool, Yeah, invite him over for 363 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,919 Speaker 3: drinks and we became friends. And then you know, I 364 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 3: still moved to Melbourne even though we were like got 365 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 3: along so well. I was like, I'm moving to Melbourne, 366 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 3: like I can't, you know, I'm not going to stay 367 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 3: on the Golf Coast for some casual thing. And then 368 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 3: I thought kind of thought that it wasn't going to 369 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 3: go anywhere because we're in different states at that point. 370 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:41,920 Speaker 3: But we still kept casually dating for quite a few years, 371 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 3: and then I ended up moving back to bet with 372 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:50,440 Speaker 3: him and we've been together for about four years now. 373 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 3: Stay and then we moved back to Melbourne, so we've 374 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 3: been like back and forth a lot. But yeah, things 375 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 3: we're going really well. We lived together and now there 376 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 3: we've got I've still got all my pets. 377 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, do you have the pets? What kind of pets 378 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 1: do you have? 379 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 3: You got a cat and two dogs, so yeah, one 380 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 3: was the cat was astray. He found us and we 381 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,880 Speaker 3: cann't find a zioners. We adopted him. We got one 382 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 3: dog from a rescue and then we got another dog 383 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:23,960 Speaker 3: from a friend's litter unexpected letter. So just a bunch 384 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,200 Speaker 3: of lost babies that we again. 385 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: And the world comes next. That's the next. 386 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, you mentioned that you didn't feel represented, and I 387 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:36,679 Speaker 2: feel like you've spoken a lot in the past or 388 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 2: you've been interviewed in the past about the representation of 389 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 2: disabled women in the media and fashion. 390 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,199 Speaker 1: What's your viewpoint on that? Do you are you? Do 391 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:45,400 Speaker 1: you see it changing at all? 392 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:50,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely. So I've always, you know, wanted to get 393 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 3: into it. You know, this is why I've gotten into 394 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 3: modeling and that kind of thing, because the more disabled 395 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 3: people that we have involved, the more we can shape 396 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,200 Speaker 3: our own stories and the way that we're portrayed to they. 397 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:04,919 Speaker 3: You know, I'm seeing it changed now, but basically before 398 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,680 Speaker 3: I did. It was always just the best and worst 399 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 3: case scenario. You know, all I'd see on TV is paralympian, 400 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,919 Speaker 3: you know, talking about elite athletes. You know, like that's 401 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,040 Speaker 3: that's not for me. You know, I'm not an athlete. 402 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,879 Speaker 3: It's just like you know, looking at Olympians, it's a 403 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:25,679 Speaker 3: huge achievement. Or you'd see the other end of it, 404 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 3: which is like a SOB story, a kittie party. So 405 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,879 Speaker 3: you'd have a disabled character on TV and it's just 406 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 3: like a plot device. You know, it's about something tragic 407 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 3: that's happened to them and now they're depressed, and you know, 408 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 3: it's this big sub story about this person. And we 409 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:46,359 Speaker 3: don't see the most common lives of disabled people, which 410 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 3: is you know, everyday people who live full lives and 411 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,959 Speaker 3: you know, the fashionable. They're in love, they're working an 412 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:58,920 Speaker 3: office job, you know, they're doing everyday thing. But we 413 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,120 Speaker 3: never see that. We never see a disabled leed who 414 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,639 Speaker 3: is just hanging out with their friends, going and getting 415 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 3: starbucks and got something about boys and having you know, 416 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 3: you know, school drama and stuff like that. It's always 417 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:18,320 Speaker 3: the extremes. So I found that super unrelatable because I'm like, well, 418 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:23,720 Speaker 3: none of these people in me and it just seems inaccurate, 419 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 3: which I found a lot of people feel as well. 420 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:30,640 Speaker 3: And a few years ago I found a woman called 421 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:35,640 Speaker 3: Mama Cuts on Instagram and she's unfortunately passed away last year, 422 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 3: which is very sad. But she has the same amputation 423 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 3: as me, which is quite rare to have the whole 424 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:47,440 Speaker 3: egg plus the left half of the pelvic phone removed. 425 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 3: So it's yes, quite rare. I've never actually found someone 426 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 3: else that had that amputation. And I found her on 427 00:21:56,080 --> 00:22:00,399 Speaker 3: Instagram and she's this She was a model, she was 428 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:05,080 Speaker 3: like a lifestyle blogger. She had this huge following. She 429 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,240 Speaker 3: she was in the Rihanna's Savage Menu runway show, like 430 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 3: she was just kicking gold. And she was the first 431 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 3: person that I saw and she was like she was 432 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 3: like posting photos like in a swimsuit at the beach 433 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 3: and stuff, and I was like, oh my god, like 434 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 3: this is this is what I want, you know, like 435 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,239 Speaker 3: this is what I need. And you know, she was 436 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,920 Speaker 3: the person that, you know, I've never in my whole 437 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 3: life up until well, I think last year gone to 438 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:33,919 Speaker 3: the beach and a swimsuit, Like I just didn't go 439 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 3: to the beach and yeah, last year I went, and 440 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 3: it was because she had posted photos in a swimsuit, 441 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 3: her scars were showing and she looked great, and I 442 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,159 Speaker 3: was like, man, like what am I doing? You know, 443 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 3: like I'm just wasting so much time. I haven't been 444 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 3: because the beach with my friends and my whole life, like, 445 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 3: so it was just yeah, just seeing her do it, 446 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 3: I was like, oh my god, this is so great. 447 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:01,280 Speaker 3: And it's yeah, it's so sad that we lost her, 448 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 3: but just seeing people that are like accurate to what 449 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 3: I aspire to be, it's no important, but even. 450 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,880 Speaker 2: That story just shows how powerful it is to have 451 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,399 Speaker 2: somebody like you, as in, like all of us represented 452 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:19,840 Speaker 2: in your way. And I saw you and also, you know, 453 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 2: doing a stalk of your Instagram, a deep stalk, I 454 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:23,879 Speaker 2: saw the photos of you at the beach and you 455 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,479 Speaker 2: were bloody killing it. You looked amazing, And there's going 456 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 2: to be so many young girls who follow your Instagram 457 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:30,960 Speaker 2: as well that might be in a similar position and 458 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 2: be like, oh my god, like that is like that's 459 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 2: me and I'm being represented and. 460 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: I love that. 461 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:38,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, totally. 462 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 2: Going into that kind of that food of feeling represented 463 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:43,919 Speaker 2: in the media is that what enticed you do appear 464 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:46,360 Speaker 2: in the Cleo magazine back when you were twenty. 465 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:50,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, Honestly, I think I was at a point in 466 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:55,280 Speaker 3: my life where, like I I was kind of stuck, 467 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:59,120 Speaker 3: and I was just I really wanted to just make 468 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 3: a move that makes sense. Like I was like, I'm 469 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 3: moving to Melbourne and I'm doing this magazine feature. So 470 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 3: like I went and tracked down one of the writers 471 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,159 Speaker 3: for Cleo and I like slid in her DMS and 472 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 3: I was like, Hey, do you want to do a 473 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 3: story about me? And she was like yeah, and my 474 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 3: best friends are photographers. So we did a shoot and 475 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 3: we did the shoe, just gave them everything they needed 476 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 3: to do a feature on me, right, And it was 477 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 3: pretty cool because I like did the shoot myself. I 478 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 3: kind of had control about what images were going to 479 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 3: them as opposed to them doing the shoot and then 480 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:38,359 Speaker 3: picking everything. So for my first feature, it was pretty comfortable. 481 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 3: They sent me like a preview of the article before 482 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 3: it came out, so I got to, like, you know, 483 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 3: ask for any changes. So there was peper accommodating, which 484 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:51,360 Speaker 3: was really nice. And I was just I was, yeah, 485 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 3: I was just at a point where I felt a 486 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:57,520 Speaker 3: bit restricted because I most of my life was like 487 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 3: long line and I felt like a lot of people 488 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:01,680 Speaker 3: book didn't know my story, and I felt like a 489 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 3: lot of people didn't even know that I was in 490 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,359 Speaker 3: an amputee, and I was just kind of tired of 491 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 3: being self conscious and kind of yeah, apprehensive about what 492 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:14,200 Speaker 3: would happen if they did know. I was like, oh, 493 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 3: what if you know, they found out I've got one 494 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 3: leg and then their attitude towards me kind of changes. 495 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,120 Speaker 3: And I just got tired of that, and I was like, look, 496 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 3: I'm just going to to do this. I'm just going 497 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 3: to drop this article and then people can deal with it, 498 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 3: and however they take it was up to them. And 499 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,400 Speaker 3: it got received well, Like obviously, it's all I had 500 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 3: that people would be mean to me and I would 501 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,600 Speaker 3: lose friendships or anything like that. So it was received 502 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:48,200 Speaker 3: super well. Everyone loved it, and yeah, so it kind 503 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 3: of it was just the way of me just breaking 504 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 3: through my own fear, and That's what I've kind of 505 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,400 Speaker 3: kept doing. It's like, whenever I'm self conscious about something, 506 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 3: I'm just going to I just kind of break through. 507 00:25:57,320 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 3: Like with that Beag story, I just like lant out 508 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,439 Speaker 3: get it, took a photo, dropped it on Instagram and 509 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:03,880 Speaker 3: I was like, okay, you can all deal with it. 510 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:05,120 Speaker 3: I've seen it now. 511 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:07,360 Speaker 2: I love that you did it through Cleo magazine as well, 512 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 2: the biggest magazine, just a low key well for obviously 513 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,639 Speaker 2: some positive, like lots of positive attention came with it, 514 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,159 Speaker 2: but I've read that there also came a little bit 515 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 2: of strange attention. And for those who haven't heard of 516 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 2: it before, can you tell us about what I don't 517 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 2: know if I'm pronouncing it right? 518 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: A devotee? Is that the right way to pronounce it? 519 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, so he's not a devote Sorry, okay. 520 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:34,640 Speaker 3: A devotee is essentially a person who has a fetish 521 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 3: towards amputees. So I didn't know that this group of 522 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,440 Speaker 3: people existed up until the Cleo article came out, because 523 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,000 Speaker 3: prior so that I had no digital presence of being 524 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 3: an amputee. It was all, you know, just kind of 525 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 3: private conversations. So this article comes up. It came out 526 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:55,240 Speaker 3: in print first, So it came out in print that 527 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 3: was pretty chill, but then it went onto their website afterwards. 528 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:00,680 Speaker 3: But when it went digital, that's when I started getting 529 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 3: all these Facebook friend requests, and I'm like all these 530 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 3: profiles were a bit suss, Like I would go on 531 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,439 Speaker 3: there and it would be someone who is presenting as 532 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,639 Speaker 3: an amputee when they were very obviously not like they 533 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 3: would be like an obvious photoshop job or like just 534 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 3: like sharing different photos of different amputees and obvious. 535 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:23,640 Speaker 1: So the alarm bells were going right now at this point. 536 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:25,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, And I was just like, well, these people are 537 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 3: adding me, and then they were messaging me. Some of 538 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:33,920 Speaker 3: them were actually like pretending to be amputees to message 539 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:35,640 Speaker 3: me and start a conversation with me. You know, there's 540 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 3: in me a message like oh hey, I lost my 541 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:39,920 Speaker 3: leg and I hate my life? Can you help me? 542 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 3: And I'm like, no, that's not That's not how we 543 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 3: talk to each other, like you know, like like we 544 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 3: don't send each other messages being like I hate my life, 545 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:48,359 Speaker 3: please help. 546 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:52,000 Speaker 2: No catfish, Like yeah, had a. 547 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,800 Speaker 3: Catfish me into like helping them, And I'm like, you're 548 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 3: faking trauma to try and strike up a conversation with me. 549 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:03,359 Speaker 3: That's fucked up. But then and like I don't judge, 550 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:06,400 Speaker 3: you know, you know, people for having fetishers. I'm not 551 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:10,959 Speaker 3: like judgmental about that at all. People are into different things. 552 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,320 Speaker 3: It's when they're projecting that onto me and they think 553 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,439 Speaker 3: that they're entitled to things from me because they're fetish. 554 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,800 Speaker 3: That's where I get a bit annoyed. I'm like, look, 555 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:21,680 Speaker 3: just because you have a fetish for people like me 556 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:23,120 Speaker 3: does not mean that I owe you. 557 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:25,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like you're some sort of special object 558 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,400 Speaker 2: or something. And when they're catfishing you too and then 559 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 2: trying to pretend that they've got you know how you feel, Yeah, 560 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 2: that's very deceptive. That's very I'm so interested to hear that, 561 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 2: because you know, I've never heard of that before. That's 562 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 2: an underbelling of. 563 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, they'll try anything to get in the door kind 564 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 3: of thing. And look, a lot of I do have 565 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,680 Speaker 3: a lot of people who I'm pretty sure are devoted you, 566 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 3: who are very respectful, and they do not ask me 567 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,280 Speaker 3: for things. They just observe follow my Instagram. I'm like, cool, 568 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 3: Like just that's fine. But when they send me, you know, 569 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:00,720 Speaker 3: like dams and they're like, oh, give you one hundred 570 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 3: dollars if you stand me a video of you like walking, 571 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 3: and I'm like, oh. 572 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: My gosh, like no, thank you. 573 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 3: The line I'm like don't demand things with me. Just 574 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 3: you can just watch. 575 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:18,400 Speaker 1: This is how you could get rich. Just charge the 576 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: well at the end. 577 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 2: Well at the end of last year were caught up 578 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 2: in a media storm of sorts because of one tweet 579 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 2: that you put out. 580 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: Can you tell us about what happened? 581 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:38,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, So basically I made a joke. I was just 582 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 3: having a bit of a laugh. So I was on 583 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 3: Twitter and someone tweeted us coming your age and something 584 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 3: you cannot do, and so I just tweeted a little 585 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 3: inside joke with my followers. I don't have many followers, 586 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 3: so I was just like, oh, I'm twenty seven and 587 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 3: I can't cross my legs. And then I was like 588 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 3: ha ha, and I went to sleep. And then someone 589 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 3: who followed me but didn't obviously I didn't pay enough 590 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 3: attention to know that I was an empty tea. They 591 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:07,960 Speaker 3: retweeted it. You know, you quote tweet yeah, and you 592 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:10,479 Speaker 3: like kind of yeah, like quote tweeted it, and they 593 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 3: were like lmao, why and I was like, I was 594 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 3: just like and all I did was quote tweet it again. 595 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 3: So it was like a little whiska though of a joke, 596 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 3: but I like quote tweeted it again. Just with a 597 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 3: photo of me. It's like a full body photo. And 598 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 3: I just dropped that and I was like, sweet, done, Yeah, 599 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,880 Speaker 3: just a bit of a laugh, super lazy joke. And 600 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 3: then then I started getting the retweets, and then like 601 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 3: a few people with big followings retweeted it, and then 602 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 3: next minute, I think it got up to nine thousand retweets, 603 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 3: and then I can't remember how many lights, like in 604 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:50,280 Speaker 3: the tens of thousands and so, and then it turned 605 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 3: from like people laughing with me to people laughing at 606 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 3: me too, just like a commentary from random menace to 607 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 3: whatever or not. They would fuck me and they were 608 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,200 Speaker 3: just like tagging their friends and be like, bro, would 609 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:06,280 Speaker 3: you still hit that? And they'd be like, oh, it 610 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:08,479 Speaker 3: depends you know what this stomp looks like and all 611 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 3: this stuff. And I'm just like, my god, one, why 612 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 3: are you tagging me? Like take dms if you want 613 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 3: to have your little fucking bro high pup about sex stuff. 614 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:21,120 Speaker 2: And I can't believe these people are willing to put 615 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 2: their name and faces to these disgusting comments, like. 616 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 3: You know, like those like troll profiles, you know, they 617 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 3: have like fake pigs of that. They would not just 618 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 3: like they would just like blazant bros with their faces 619 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 3: showing wearing like school shirts. 620 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:35,680 Speaker 1: And oh my gosh, just. 621 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:38,600 Speaker 3: Like I could obviously like easily identify most of these 622 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 3: people and so just tend it to this commentary. There 623 00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:44,680 Speaker 3: was like a French guy who made a comment about 624 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 3: how like a bit easy to rape beings people can't 625 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 3: get away? My god? What and what else were they saying? 626 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 3: Just a lot of and then a lot of like 627 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 3: the same choke over and over again. It's like a 628 00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 3: lot of lazy jokes, and it was just annoying. Like 629 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,000 Speaker 3: I wouldn't I didn't even I didn't like shed a 630 00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 3: tear over these people. Like I was just like doing around. 631 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:08,520 Speaker 3: I was obsessed with reading all the replies, like I 632 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:12,480 Speaker 3: read like every reply I got. But it was just 633 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 3: annoying because they were making the same joke I reckon. 634 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 3: I had like a hundred people make the same joke, 635 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 3: and then like every now and again, I could get 636 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 3: picked up when people thought it was hilarious and I'm like, no, 637 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 3: it's not funny. Already being dead, yeah, I'm just getting 638 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:28,440 Speaker 3: mad that people were getting like engagement out of jokes 639 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 3: that were. 640 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 2: If you're gonna be flu quits at least be original 641 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:32,440 Speaker 2: about it. 642 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 3: And then and then so I was like I was 643 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 3: like replying here and there, like when someone made the 644 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 3: same joke, I would send them like a collage of 645 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 3: everyone making that same book. And then they were like 646 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 3: dilute to me. And then and then I got picked 647 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 3: up on Reddit. I don't know if you guys use Reddit. 648 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:53,360 Speaker 2: I don't, but I've seen, yeah, I've seen threads on there. 649 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 3: I ended up. I got I woke up in the 650 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,040 Speaker 3: morning and I had like a bunch of messages being like, oh, 651 00:32:58,040 --> 00:32:59,560 Speaker 3: You're on the front page of Reddit, and I'm like, 652 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 3: I don't know deal what that means, but apparently it 653 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:04,840 Speaker 3: means a lot of people were seeing and it was 654 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:08,280 Speaker 3: someone making the same joke that everyone was making. It's like, 655 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:10,400 Speaker 3: you know, it's like phase seven out of ten, body, 656 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:13,719 Speaker 3: six out of ten, legs one out of two, and 657 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:16,479 Speaker 3: so it being maybe like a hundred times, and like 658 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 3: the first time that that joke actually took off, it 659 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 3: was an actual ampitue like making that joke, and so 660 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,240 Speaker 3: now it's just hundreds of people taking it and not 661 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 3: being funny. So it was that joke and then it 662 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:30,280 Speaker 3: was just like just like popped off and read it. 663 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:34,520 Speaker 3: I was getting all these messages, same jokes, same wild people. 664 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:40,640 Speaker 3: And then I talked about it in a private Facebook group. 665 00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 3: I was just like, yeah, getting these trolls, that's weird. 666 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 3: And there was the journo and the Facebook group, and 667 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 3: she saw what I was talking about, and she went 668 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 3: and liked saw all the tweets and stuff like that, 669 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:52,720 Speaker 3: and then she sent me a DM on Twitter and 670 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 3: she was like, hey, do you mind a very write 671 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 3: a story about the tweets and stuff? And I was like, 672 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 3: let me sleep on it, because you know, like, as 673 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:03,480 Speaker 3: if I do a story is they're gonna make it worse. 674 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 3: So people are gonna get worse, because as we know, 675 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:10,400 Speaker 3: that's how things worked. And then I slept on it. 676 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:13,359 Speaker 3: I woke up and I was like, Oh, no, one's 677 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,280 Speaker 3: going to say anything worse than the thousands of tweets 678 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:20,560 Speaker 3: that I've already gotten, like let's be real, and and 679 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,080 Speaker 3: I was like, yeah, that's probably just going to end 680 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 3: up like in the back of the lifestyle section what else. 681 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:26,960 Speaker 3: And then so I was like, yeah, okay, let's do it. 682 00:34:27,719 --> 00:34:31,840 Speaker 3: And I did it, and then I went to work 683 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:35,360 Speaker 3: and the story came out and then I started getting 684 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:39,320 Speaker 3: all these dms from like every major news outlet and 685 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:43,840 Speaker 3: Surelia be like hey and we share your story. I'm like, 686 00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:47,480 Speaker 3: am like, may as well whatever, Like you know, these 687 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:49,560 Speaker 3: are just the people asking, you know how a lot 688 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 3: of publications they just they don't even ask. They just 689 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:53,640 Speaker 3: go and copy the story and published. I'm like, whatever 690 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,560 Speaker 3: asking me, I can have some control over what they 691 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:01,759 Speaker 3: post if I, you know, do it this way. So 692 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:06,840 Speaker 3: I did a few of them, and then by the 693 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,680 Speaker 3: time I got home from work, it was like front 694 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:13,839 Speaker 3: page of like every news website, like all the major 695 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,480 Speaker 3: ones in the country and even New Zealand where I'm from. 696 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:20,960 Speaker 3: So I started and that was unexpected, right. So that's 697 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,320 Speaker 3: a bit that like kind of just shook me was 698 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 3: that I got home and I logged onto the news 699 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 3: and my face was the first thing. But the first 700 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 3: thing is just my big a space. 701 00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:36,640 Speaker 2: That's isn't it. Is it the slow news day or yeah? 702 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:39,799 Speaker 3: And I'm sure of you know what this was to 703 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,279 Speaker 3: have your face all over the news and you're just like, oh, 704 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:45,879 Speaker 3: this was like the greatest like thing to be known for. 705 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:48,319 Speaker 3: You know, this is going to be the first thing 706 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:53,200 Speaker 3: that comes up when people google me. And so that's 707 00:35:53,239 --> 00:35:54,840 Speaker 3: what shook me. And I actually had a bit of 708 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:57,960 Speaker 3: like a panic when that happened. My boyfriend walk and 709 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:02,239 Speaker 3: I was just like, it's everywhere because I don't know. 710 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:05,560 Speaker 3: There was a big difference between that other people on 711 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:09,960 Speaker 3: Twitter that I do not know saying things I do 712 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:13,360 Speaker 3: not care about these people to being all over the 713 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:15,799 Speaker 3: news and I've got all of these people I know 714 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 3: seeing it, and like I had like school teachers messaging me, 715 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 3: like my family messaging me, like people just like I 716 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:26,120 Speaker 3: haven't spoken to but they all know me. I suddenly 717 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:28,840 Speaker 3: messaging me, And it was just like this unwanted merger 718 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:33,239 Speaker 3: of Twitter and in real life. So that was like 719 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:37,360 Speaker 3: the most shocking part of it was how much it 720 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:40,080 Speaker 3: got kicked up and it went worldwide after that, and 721 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:43,720 Speaker 3: I was just it was just strange being like, oh, great, 722 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:47,080 Speaker 3: Like this is what everyone's gonna know me for. 723 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:49,480 Speaker 2: It's funny that people that come out of the woodwork 724 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:51,760 Speaker 2: when something like that happens and you're like, oh my god, 725 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:56,440 Speaker 2: I forgot about you. So what was the coverage like 726 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:57,760 Speaker 2: from country to country? 727 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,440 Speaker 1: Did it defects? I'm assuming that the original. 728 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:03,239 Speaker 2: Report probably would have been a great story, but then 729 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:05,680 Speaker 2: did it change? Is it sort of got picked up 730 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:06,840 Speaker 2: from other publications. 731 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:09,680 Speaker 3: Like most publicators they were fine, you know, like your 732 00:37:09,719 --> 00:37:13,200 Speaker 3: your Western ones were just your average. I did do 733 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,239 Speaker 3: myself a favor. I did not read any comments on 734 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:19,839 Speaker 3: the news articles like on Facebook and stuff, because that's 735 00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:21,760 Speaker 3: where all like a La boomills come out and stuff, 736 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:24,400 Speaker 3: and then they get a bit what do you expect? 737 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:26,080 Speaker 3: This is what you deserve. I was getting that on 738 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:29,399 Speaker 3: Twitter as well, but it was a lot of that 739 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:31,200 Speaker 3: when the news articles came out, like what do you 740 00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:33,200 Speaker 3: expect when you put phoots of yourself online? 741 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:34,960 Speaker 1: People are so disgusting. 742 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,319 Speaker 2: Isn't it crazy about how you can just get such 743 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:39,759 Speaker 2: a different reaction that you'll read some comments of people 744 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 2: and they'll be like, oh love I love you. 745 00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:42,600 Speaker 1: And then other ones like hate you. 746 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:45,560 Speaker 2: Like It's just crazy how people can take such different 747 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:47,400 Speaker 2: things from articles. 748 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:49,680 Speaker 3: Yeah. I had a guy I reader, a Melbourne guy. 749 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:51,799 Speaker 3: I'm gonna go to read this article about how I've 750 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:54,359 Speaker 3: been trolled online people saying horrible things about me, and 751 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:56,919 Speaker 3: then has reaction try and find out where I live. 752 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:02,000 Speaker 3: Of course he like tweeted me like oh girl from 753 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 3: Frankstone complaints about getting trolled online and you know, then 754 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:09,279 Speaker 3: girl goes and shares more stuff or something like that, 755 00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:11,320 Speaker 3: and then I was like, why do you think I 756 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:13,279 Speaker 3: live in Frankston And he's like, oh, I looked up 757 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,320 Speaker 3: your eye peaters, so and I'm like totally normal behavior, dude, 758 00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:22,280 Speaker 3: creepy and I'm like okay, So, like, yeah, I stayed 759 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:26,279 Speaker 3: away from that side of online commentary, which I think 760 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:30,400 Speaker 3: was good. But yeah, when it went around the world, 761 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:35,640 Speaker 3: the western kind of cupboard was very just kind of 762 00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:40,000 Speaker 3: shocked factory the least horrible comments girls and deputy help 763 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:43,920 Speaker 3: me and she's appalled, she shocked all that. And but 764 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:46,320 Speaker 3: then I read one I kind of remember what country 765 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:48,319 Speaker 3: it was them, but they kind of it was like 766 00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:50,799 Speaker 3: the laziest coverage. They were just like they ended it 767 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:54,000 Speaker 3: but oh well, not much we can do about this. 768 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 3: And I'm like, what are you and you do you 769 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,239 Speaker 3: want to have a stance, but they were just like, 770 00:38:59,239 --> 00:39:05,640 Speaker 3: oh well. And then it got to other areas like Indonesia. 771 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:12,600 Speaker 3: Indonesia and oh my god, nicest nicest coverage ever am. 772 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:17,360 Speaker 3: I got like a photo posted on the biggest Instagram 773 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:20,520 Speaker 3: paid in Indonesia and then I got like a thousand 774 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 3: followers like that because this page was kewed, and they're 775 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:26,480 Speaker 3: all just the like Indonesian people sending me the loveliest 776 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:29,240 Speaker 3: messages of like oh you're so sweet, You're an angel, 777 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:32,719 Speaker 3: and I'm just saying like nicest things. It was like 778 00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:35,680 Speaker 3: such a contrast from like being troubled to me getting 779 00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:38,160 Speaker 3: like thousands of messages from Indonesia just telling me like 780 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:44,239 Speaker 3: how great I am. And then I I also had 781 00:39:44,239 --> 00:39:46,879 Speaker 3: a photo go up on like a Russian social media 782 00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:52,560 Speaker 3: website that was a lot different. So like I started 783 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:55,319 Speaker 3: getting like an influx and followers from Russia and I 784 00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:57,560 Speaker 3: was like, Oh, something must be happening there, and a 785 00:39:57,680 --> 00:39:59,120 Speaker 3: DM one of them and I'm like, hey, is there 786 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:02,480 Speaker 3: like a article or something going on in Russia? And 787 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:05,080 Speaker 3: then they sent me a link to this Russian social 788 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:08,400 Speaker 3: media website and they posted the photo of me and 789 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:11,040 Speaker 3: stuff and these they just said oh she's beautiful or 790 00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:16,440 Speaker 3: something like that. That the comments like completely different. The 791 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:19,960 Speaker 3: comments were just saying things like oh this girl, you know, 792 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:22,640 Speaker 3: she doesn't know anything about what it's like to live 793 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:25,160 Speaker 3: a hard life. She'll never know what it's like to 794 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 3: live on the disability benefit. She's got rich parents and 795 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:33,960 Speaker 3: she's she's really stupid because she's a model, so she 796 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:37,000 Speaker 3: obviously not very smart and that's why she does what. 797 00:40:38,360 --> 00:40:40,719 Speaker 3: I'm like, what I don't got like so fired up 798 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:42,799 Speaker 3: because there's one thing of like people like trolling me, 799 00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:45,640 Speaker 3: but then people just like outright lying. I was like, well, 800 00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:48,600 Speaker 3: my parents are not rich too. I've worked since it's 801 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:49,480 Speaker 3: fifteen years old. 802 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:51,839 Speaker 2: It's amazing the things that people can say are wrong 803 00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:54,239 Speaker 2: with you, Annie, so that you're and that you're too 804 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,880 Speaker 2: attractive to have you know, had a bad life. 805 00:40:57,120 --> 00:41:00,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The other thing, I was like, I 806 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:03,359 Speaker 3: can't even get benefits. I don't have residency. 807 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:06,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, they don't even understand if I wanted to. 808 00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:07,640 Speaker 1: Isn't it crazy too? 809 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,399 Speaker 2: Because I feel like if it was a male who 810 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:11,480 Speaker 2: was in this position as well and their Twitter comment 811 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:13,000 Speaker 2: went off one, I don't think it would go off 812 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:14,480 Speaker 2: in the way that it has. But I feel like 813 00:41:14,719 --> 00:41:17,080 Speaker 2: there is like an element of sexism in it. Do 814 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:19,799 Speaker 2: you think that that's compounded? You know, we see so 815 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:23,080 Speaker 2: many women facing challenges and sexism every day. Do you 816 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:25,359 Speaker 2: think that is compounded by having a disability and been 817 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:27,080 Speaker 2: thrown in the spotlight like that as well? 818 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,680 Speaker 3: Yes, Like, I definitely think that the whole thing blew 819 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:34,239 Speaker 3: up because there was the whole commentary around whether or 820 00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:37,360 Speaker 3: not people would have sex with me. So I think, 821 00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:41,520 Speaker 3: you know, that maybe came from a place where they 822 00:41:41,880 --> 00:41:44,920 Speaker 3: if I had two legs, they would be attracted to me. 823 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,600 Speaker 3: But then they obviously I'm an amputee, so they're like, oh, 824 00:41:47,719 --> 00:41:50,880 Speaker 3: this is a conundrum. Am I still attracted to her? 825 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:54,200 Speaker 3: Let me discuss this with my think group publicly. 826 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:58,960 Speaker 2: And I love these people though, sorry I want to 827 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:00,880 Speaker 2: say I love these people that be commenting would be 828 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:04,319 Speaker 2: the biggest trolls you've ever seen. Commenting a bit and 829 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:06,160 Speaker 2: you'd be like, I would never have sex with you 830 00:42:06,160 --> 00:42:06,839 Speaker 2: in my whole life. 831 00:42:07,239 --> 00:42:09,160 Speaker 3: I said that to one of them. I was like, 832 00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:11,960 Speaker 3: I wouldn't and then he goes, you don't have a 833 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:12,600 Speaker 3: choice in it. 834 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,040 Speaker 2: Oh cool. 835 00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:16,359 Speaker 1: People are disgusting. 836 00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:23,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, but so with the it's actually pretty upsetting. So 837 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:29,000 Speaker 3: when it comes to disability and these issues, see i've 838 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:33,360 Speaker 3: you know, the rates of being content warning sexual assault, 839 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:37,680 Speaker 3: the rates of being sexually assaulted, I'm much higher for 840 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:42,759 Speaker 3: disabled women, so especially intellectually disabled women. So it's about 841 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:46,000 Speaker 3: a rate of twelve times higher if you were intellectually 842 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:50,560 Speaker 3: disabled versus not being intellectually disabled. And MPR did a 843 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:54,320 Speaker 3: great article covering this, you know, citing their sources and 844 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:56,120 Speaker 3: all of that. If you want to read it. It's heartbreaking, 845 00:42:56,160 --> 00:43:00,480 Speaker 3: but it's very important. And when I was I think 846 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:04,759 Speaker 3: I was fifteen or sixteen, I was out at the 847 00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:07,200 Speaker 3: markets with my best friend. My best friend came over 848 00:43:07,239 --> 00:43:10,360 Speaker 3: from New Zealand to visit me and we went out shopping. 849 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:11,880 Speaker 3: I was like, so excited have my best friend here 850 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:15,880 Speaker 3: because I had no friends. We're out shopping and at summer, 851 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:19,759 Speaker 3: I'm wearing like a summer dress and we're out, you know, 852 00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:22,040 Speaker 3: at the markets, so it's like quite crowded. People are 853 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:24,359 Speaker 3: brushing up against each other. You know, you just flee 854 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:28,400 Speaker 3: market type thing, right, And I had this woman come 855 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:29,920 Speaker 3: up to me and she like tapped me on the 856 00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:33,400 Speaker 3: shoulder and she was like, don't look now, but that 857 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:36,879 Speaker 3: man over there just took photos of your dress. And 858 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:40,399 Speaker 3: I was like, and I'm like, I'm like, I'm quite 859 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,640 Speaker 3: a fiery person, so like I'm quite bold and do 860 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:45,640 Speaker 3: things that could probably get in a lot of trouble. 861 00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:47,920 Speaker 3: But I just turned around. I saw this thirty he 862 00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:52,000 Speaker 3: was carrying like a big professional camera, right, and she said, 863 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:54,759 Speaker 3: you know she saw him put the camera up my 864 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:56,640 Speaker 3: dress who's standing behind me, and saw him go a 865 00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:58,960 Speaker 3: click click click, And I wouldn't have known if this 866 00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:02,319 Speaker 3: lady didn't tell me, right, And you know, I'm a 867 00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:05,440 Speaker 3: miner as well. So I'm alone with my friend and 868 00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:08,960 Speaker 3: back then, I I didn't have like it was, you 869 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:10,920 Speaker 3: know when you had to credit on your phone, you know, 870 00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:13,560 Speaker 3: id it on my phone, so like I couldn't call anyone. 871 00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:17,120 Speaker 3: I'm in a market. The market stores don't have tuble phones, 872 00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:18,880 Speaker 3: you know. It was that kind of thing. There's no 873 00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:22,160 Speaker 3: security right there that you can call. And the guy 874 00:44:22,360 --> 00:44:24,759 Speaker 3: was walking away and I was like, I can't let 875 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:26,640 Speaker 3: this guy get away with floaters up my dress. So 876 00:44:26,640 --> 00:44:30,239 Speaker 3: I just went after it. And he said to my friend. 877 00:44:30,280 --> 00:44:32,440 Speaker 3: I was like, try and get security or something like 878 00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:35,880 Speaker 3: I'm going to follow this dude. And my friend couldn't 879 00:44:35,880 --> 00:44:38,520 Speaker 3: get security just because of how the market was, you know, 880 00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:42,160 Speaker 3: laid out, just it's impossible, and so I went follow 881 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:44,200 Speaker 3: the dude. He walked out to the car park and 882 00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:46,680 Speaker 3: I was like, so dumb, but I followed him into 883 00:44:46,680 --> 00:44:49,800 Speaker 3: the car park because you know, I can be a 884 00:44:49,800 --> 00:44:51,920 Speaker 3: bit of a dumb mass, But I followed him out 885 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:54,279 Speaker 3: there and he was standing near by a car and 886 00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:57,439 Speaker 3: he was looking scrolling through his camera and I walked 887 00:44:57,480 --> 00:44:59,560 Speaker 3: up to him and I was just like, hey, buddie 888 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:02,600 Speaker 3: photos and he's like yeah, and I'm like, oh, what 889 00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:04,880 Speaker 3: are you taking photos of? He's like, oh, you know, 890 00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:06,480 Speaker 3: just things around the market and I was just like 891 00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:09,759 Speaker 3: lost them and I was like you can probably bleep 892 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:11,800 Speaker 3: this out and I was like, no, you're fucking taking 893 00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:14,160 Speaker 3: photos up my dress. And I just went off on 894 00:45:14,239 --> 00:45:16,000 Speaker 3: this dude and I was like, give me your camera 895 00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:18,799 Speaker 3: right now, and he like obviously wasn't going to give 896 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:21,960 Speaker 3: me his camera. And then I said that's when I 897 00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:24,160 Speaker 3: started filming. And I started recording this dude because I 898 00:45:24,160 --> 00:45:25,759 Speaker 3: was like, he's got to get away, and I was 899 00:45:25,880 --> 00:45:28,680 Speaker 3: like that a recording hi when I was following him. 900 00:45:28,719 --> 00:45:31,319 Speaker 3: So I'm like following him, recording him while trying to 901 00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:37,480 Speaker 3: simultaneously get the attention of the market vendors like call 902 00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:39,640 Speaker 3: security because this guy is just going to walk into 903 00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:41,680 Speaker 3: the crowd and disappear and I'm never going to find him. 904 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:44,640 Speaker 3: And as he was walking away, I was kind of like, great, 905 00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:47,440 Speaker 3: he's deleting the photos because he was doing stuff on 906 00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:50,840 Speaker 3: his camera rapidly as he was walking away, and he 907 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:56,600 Speaker 3: was panicking like he was very obviously guilty, and he 908 00:45:56,680 --> 00:46:00,640 Speaker 3: disappeared out of sight. And then I got security wasecurity guard. 909 00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:02,800 Speaker 3: I showed him the video. I told him what happened, 910 00:46:02,800 --> 00:46:05,400 Speaker 3: and he was like shaking. He was like holding my 911 00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:08,920 Speaker 3: phone just like he was obviously just serious. And they 912 00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:13,720 Speaker 3: caught the guy in the car park again and he'd 913 00:46:13,719 --> 00:46:17,000 Speaker 3: wiped the photos by then. The police came. They let 914 00:46:17,080 --> 00:46:20,480 Speaker 3: him go because they couldn't find any evidence when like, 915 00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:22,480 Speaker 3: for all I know, he just popped the memory card out, 916 00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:26,000 Speaker 3: but you know, hopefully he deleted them, but you know, 917 00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:28,320 Speaker 3: and my dad got there, and by the time my 918 00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:32,359 Speaker 3: dad got there, yeah, they let him go. And it 919 00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:36,400 Speaker 3: was just like I feel like, obviously he probably targeted 920 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:39,759 Speaker 3: me because that was an amputee. Maybe that added some 921 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:43,320 Speaker 3: curiosity to his creepiness. Like I highly doubt I was 922 00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:46,319 Speaker 3: the first girl he's ever done that too, But I 923 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:49,399 Speaker 3: feel like, you know, me being an amputee definitely came 924 00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:53,400 Speaker 3: into that him feeling like, I don't know, he was 925 00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:55,840 Speaker 3: entitled to find out what it looked like at my 926 00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:59,640 Speaker 3: dress or something like that. I don't know, but yeah, 927 00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:02,120 Speaker 3: that's one of the experiences I've had. 928 00:47:02,680 --> 00:47:04,279 Speaker 2: That's such a good I think that's such a good 929 00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:06,560 Speaker 2: story for everyone because you always have to stand up 930 00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:08,719 Speaker 2: for yourself, Like, good on you actually chasing him down. 931 00:47:08,719 --> 00:47:10,800 Speaker 2: I would have smashed his bloody killing. Especially at the 932 00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:13,880 Speaker 2: age of sixteen. I couldn't imagine being brave enough to 933 00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:16,319 Speaker 2: do that. Like, I probably that guy would not mess 934 00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:17,000 Speaker 2: with you again. 935 00:47:17,160 --> 00:47:20,759 Speaker 3: Yeah, I've done that, like various scenarios. But it's just 936 00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:25,560 Speaker 3: like I just cannot stand the thought of not pursuing 937 00:47:25,600 --> 00:47:27,839 Speaker 3: these people who do something like that, yeah, and them 938 00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:29,840 Speaker 3: getting away with it, and they just thinking I should 939 00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:31,560 Speaker 3: have done this, so should have done that, And like 940 00:47:31,719 --> 00:47:33,480 Speaker 3: I still have regrets. I wish I grabbed his camera 941 00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:36,799 Speaker 3: and threw it on the second ground, but not less, 942 00:47:36,800 --> 00:47:38,160 Speaker 3: I still went after the story. 943 00:47:38,400 --> 00:47:39,000 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. 944 00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:40,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you would have got in trouble. They always 945 00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:42,880 Speaker 2: twist these things somehow. I feel like I feel like 946 00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:44,799 Speaker 2: we should be best friends because I'm that far in 947 00:47:44,840 --> 00:47:47,400 Speaker 2: a person too that I would just make it really 948 00:47:47,440 --> 00:47:50,040 Speaker 2: awkward for everyone and then like merely get myselves in 949 00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:52,480 Speaker 2: punch ups because I'm like because I was one time 950 00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:54,719 Speaker 2: I was sticking up for Sophie, someone was paying her 951 00:47:54,760 --> 00:47:57,239 Speaker 2: out anyway. I won't go into it, but yeah, I 952 00:47:57,239 --> 00:47:59,800 Speaker 2: feel like if you and I buddied up in Melbourne 953 00:47:59,840 --> 00:48:03,520 Speaker 2: with be might be a dangerous like. 954 00:48:03,840 --> 00:48:05,480 Speaker 3: I'm just like I think back and I'm like, man, 955 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:11,160 Speaker 3: I like bollwed that guy by myself were like Dark Street. 956 00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:13,320 Speaker 2: Like if that was a movie, it definitely wouldn't have 957 00:48:13,400 --> 00:48:15,879 Speaker 2: ended well, Like if the shows that you're like, oh, 958 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:17,279 Speaker 2: what are they doing now? 959 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:17,920 Speaker 3: Yeah? 960 00:48:17,960 --> 00:48:20,960 Speaker 2: Moving on to a slightly more positive, like more uplifting topic. 961 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:23,719 Speaker 2: It's incredible because I read that you're uplifting. No, I'm 962 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:26,880 Speaker 2: worried what punching people that are doing wrong. I like 963 00:48:26,960 --> 00:48:29,799 Speaker 2: that topic because now moving on to your modeling this month, 964 00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:31,360 Speaker 2: you hit a milestone during lockdown. 965 00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:32,399 Speaker 1: Can you tell us about it? 966 00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:37,760 Speaker 3: Yeah. So I was in bed one night, just scrolling 967 00:48:37,800 --> 00:48:41,239 Speaker 3: on the and stuff and just launder a brand I 968 00:48:41,280 --> 00:48:44,840 Speaker 3: followed called Blue Bella. They posted up a casting post 969 00:48:44,920 --> 00:48:47,640 Speaker 3: and it was like an open casting and I was saying, actually, 970 00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:50,480 Speaker 3: want to be a part of a secret project, send 971 00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:53,120 Speaker 3: us a send us an email or something like that, 972 00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:54,520 Speaker 3: and I was about to go to bed, so I 973 00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:56,240 Speaker 3: just put it on my to do list. I was like, Okay, 974 00:48:56,760 --> 00:48:59,319 Speaker 3: email Blue Bellow in the morning, and then I woke 975 00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:03,080 Speaker 3: up in the morning and the post was gone. Oh 976 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:05,320 Speaker 3: I should have done this last night, you know, like 977 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:07,200 Speaker 3: obviously they're going to get a lot about the patients 978 00:49:07,239 --> 00:49:09,920 Speaker 3: and so on. So I dam them and I was 979 00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:11,919 Speaker 3: just like, hey, like, I know your post is gone, 980 00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:14,160 Speaker 3: but is there any chance I can still apply for 981 00:49:14,239 --> 00:49:16,160 Speaker 3: the project? And they were applied and they were like, yes, 982 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:19,520 Speaker 3: of course. So I emailed them just saying I want 983 00:49:19,520 --> 00:49:21,200 Speaker 3: to be a part of it. A bit about myself. 984 00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:23,960 Speaker 3: I know yet what it was at this point, but 985 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:28,520 Speaker 3: I figured launder A brand needs content, got to be 986 00:49:28,680 --> 00:49:32,960 Speaker 3: some kind of modeling opportunity. And then they replied and 987 00:49:32,960 --> 00:49:35,800 Speaker 3: they were like, yes, we'd love to have you. Congratulations 988 00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:41,239 Speaker 3: on the casting, and it was a world's largest online 989 00:49:41,680 --> 00:49:44,880 Speaker 3: catwalk show they called it, so they had over a 990 00:49:44,960 --> 00:49:49,160 Speaker 3: thousand people apply for it, so I was super lucky 991 00:49:49,200 --> 00:49:52,640 Speaker 3: to get it. And then they sent out lunder A 992 00:49:52,719 --> 00:49:56,560 Speaker 3: pieces to I think two hundred women to submit videos 993 00:49:57,160 --> 00:49:59,480 Speaker 3: and it was my first countwook casting and it's so 994 00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:03,399 Speaker 3: weird because it in isolation. You know, I've never walked 995 00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:05,400 Speaker 3: on a real catwalk, but I got my first casting 996 00:50:07,120 --> 00:50:11,840 Speaker 3: from isolation, so that was pretty cool, and it was 997 00:50:11,880 --> 00:50:13,879 Speaker 3: like a reminder that, like I can, I guess all 998 00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:17,240 Speaker 3: have little, you know, achievements while I'm in my house. 999 00:50:18,360 --> 00:50:20,440 Speaker 2: I didn't feel like that's the biggest achievement anyone in 1000 00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:21,920 Speaker 2: isolation probably had. 1001 00:50:22,160 --> 00:50:25,319 Speaker 3: Yeah, And so I did the video. My boyfriend helped 1002 00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:26,600 Speaker 3: me record it, and it was so weird because you 1003 00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:29,360 Speaker 3: had to send in like all these kind of different 1004 00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:32,360 Speaker 3: shots of you walking different ways and doing different things, 1005 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:35,880 Speaker 3: and like doing dances, and I've never danced in my life. 1006 00:50:35,920 --> 00:50:38,120 Speaker 3: I'm like, oh my god, that's gonna be so bad, 1007 00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:40,960 Speaker 3: you know how, like the Victoria's Secret, you get to 1008 00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:42,680 Speaker 3: the end and you have to do the corny like. 1009 00:50:42,760 --> 00:50:49,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, although I know my friends always laugh at this stuff. 1010 00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:52,160 Speaker 3: Well, and then so I send it in and then 1011 00:50:53,719 --> 00:50:55,319 Speaker 3: then they asked me to be a part of the 1012 00:50:55,440 --> 00:50:58,480 Speaker 3: press release. So you guys are probably familiar when things 1013 00:50:58,520 --> 00:51:01,840 Speaker 3: like this happen. Brands send out press releases to various 1014 00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:05,400 Speaker 3: publications and if they want to write something about it, 1015 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:09,799 Speaker 3: they will, And they Blue Bellot emailed me being like, oh, 1016 00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:11,680 Speaker 3: we'd like to feature you in a press release. I 1017 00:51:11,760 --> 00:51:15,359 Speaker 3: was like sick, But then I got a little right 1018 00:51:15,480 --> 00:51:18,480 Speaker 3: up after that, the video came out and it was 1019 00:51:19,239 --> 00:51:21,640 Speaker 3: I was really happy with it. I had to stay 1020 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:23,799 Speaker 3: out because it came out there in the London, so 1021 00:51:23,840 --> 00:51:26,960 Speaker 3: it came out at like one am here, but I 1022 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:28,640 Speaker 3: was super happy with how it tender. And it was 1023 00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:31,200 Speaker 3: also another one of those things we're told about where 1024 00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:34,600 Speaker 3: I'm self conscious about something, I'll just like go all out. 1025 00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:37,560 Speaker 3: So I've never actually shown like the backside of my 1026 00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:41,120 Speaker 3: amputation before because this is like a kind of weird thing. 1027 00:51:41,160 --> 00:51:43,600 Speaker 3: To show us would be like posting an our shop 1028 00:51:43,680 --> 00:51:45,840 Speaker 3: if I did, and i'dn't have done that before. So 1029 00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:49,040 Speaker 3: and the next minute, I'm doing the world lie just 1030 00:51:49,120 --> 00:51:51,919 Speaker 3: on my fashion show and lingerie and I'm walking away 1031 00:51:51,920 --> 00:51:56,680 Speaker 3: from the camera. So and it was nowhere near as 1032 00:51:56,719 --> 00:51:59,040 Speaker 3: bad as I expected it to look in my head 1033 00:51:59,120 --> 00:52:02,920 Speaker 3: for my entire life. So through that experience, it was 1034 00:52:02,960 --> 00:52:07,799 Speaker 3: also like, ah, doesn't even look that bad. Twenty years later, 1035 00:52:07,840 --> 00:52:10,160 Speaker 3: I've realized that is that crazy. 1036 00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:13,200 Speaker 2: It's that when you put yourself out there, you finally realize, oh, yeah, 1037 00:52:13,400 --> 00:52:15,520 Speaker 2: like I've been worrying about this and I should have never. 1038 00:52:15,960 --> 00:52:18,240 Speaker 3: People don't really have anything to compare it to either. 1039 00:52:18,239 --> 00:52:19,760 Speaker 3: Then I'm going to be like, oh, well that doesn't 1040 00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:22,520 Speaker 3: look like the other girl with a handy pubric for 1041 00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:25,200 Speaker 3: me and a wonder ratio, Like you know, I'm just 1042 00:52:25,239 --> 00:52:28,000 Speaker 3: gonna they can't really say that it's not up to 1043 00:52:28,040 --> 00:52:29,040 Speaker 3: par whatever. 1044 00:52:29,680 --> 00:52:31,799 Speaker 2: You're making your own standard. I love that, Like I 1045 00:52:31,840 --> 00:52:34,040 Speaker 2: was going to say, I love that. It's like, as 1046 00:52:34,080 --> 00:52:36,319 Speaker 2: you say, you know, going on Cleo or doing this 1047 00:52:36,640 --> 00:52:39,680 Speaker 2: fashion show, like you were going out out of your 1048 00:52:39,680 --> 00:52:42,120 Speaker 2: comfort zone, but in such a massive way. It's just 1049 00:52:42,160 --> 00:52:43,840 Speaker 2: I love it. Yeah, it's amazing. 1050 00:52:44,640 --> 00:52:47,120 Speaker 3: Well that's just like, okay, nothing more can be done 1051 00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:48,120 Speaker 3: here exactly. 1052 00:52:48,120 --> 00:52:49,800 Speaker 2: You're just doing it on the biggest stage possible. 1053 00:52:50,160 --> 00:52:51,720 Speaker 1: What was the feedback like anyway? 1054 00:52:52,600 --> 00:52:54,799 Speaker 3: It was good and all positive, you know, there was 1055 00:52:55,160 --> 00:52:58,800 Speaker 3: I was, you know, reading the comments and stuff, and 1056 00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:00,960 Speaker 3: because after they plosted the video as well, they posted 1057 00:53:01,000 --> 00:53:03,520 Speaker 3: just a photo of me, but I took and one 1058 00:53:03,520 --> 00:53:05,480 Speaker 3: of the pieces they sent me and all the comments 1059 00:53:05,480 --> 00:53:08,279 Speaker 3: on that were very well received. You know, everyone's or 1060 00:53:08,320 --> 00:53:11,200 Speaker 3: for diversity and stuff like that now, and I feel 1061 00:53:11,200 --> 00:53:13,880 Speaker 3: like the people that already follow Blue Bella were already 1062 00:53:13,880 --> 00:53:16,320 Speaker 3: a part of that, because they're already quite a diverse brand, 1063 00:53:16,440 --> 00:53:18,920 Speaker 3: and that one of those brands that you know, they 1064 00:53:18,920 --> 00:53:22,880 Speaker 3: don't post a photo of a model that doesn't you know, 1065 00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:27,040 Speaker 3: the Victoria's Secret standard, and then post it with a 1066 00:53:27,080 --> 00:53:30,120 Speaker 3: big disclaimer about, oh, this is why we're posting a 1067 00:53:30,120 --> 00:53:33,520 Speaker 3: photo of a model who's not a size zero. You 1068 00:53:33,560 --> 00:53:37,000 Speaker 3: know how like some brands every time they showcased diversity, 1069 00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:39,839 Speaker 3: they have to come with a big show and tell about, oh, 1070 00:53:39,840 --> 00:53:41,640 Speaker 3: this is why we're doing it. It's like, not, didn't 1071 00:53:41,680 --> 00:53:44,600 Speaker 3: do it exactly. We don't need to have a disclaimer 1072 00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:46,240 Speaker 3: about why you have diverse models. 1073 00:53:46,320 --> 00:53:48,720 Speaker 1: Everyone's doing it exactly. 1074 00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:51,160 Speaker 3: It's just just like, oh, we're not going to fit 1075 00:53:51,239 --> 00:53:56,560 Speaker 3: in if you're constantly pointing us out exactly. Just do it. So, yeah, 1076 00:53:56,640 --> 00:54:00,239 Speaker 3: feedback was great, and yeah, Bluebella was quite happy, I 1077 00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:03,800 Speaker 3: think just because from the follow up kind of press 1078 00:54:03,880 --> 00:54:06,400 Speaker 3: that it got as well, and I got yeah, a 1079 00:54:06,440 --> 00:54:09,080 Speaker 3: lot of engagement for them as well. So overall it 1080 00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:09,680 Speaker 3: was really good. 1081 00:54:09,960 --> 00:54:10,640 Speaker 1: That SAPs good. 1082 00:54:10,719 --> 00:54:13,200 Speaker 2: I was gonna I was gonna ask, lastly, if you 1083 00:54:13,239 --> 00:54:16,200 Speaker 2: could go back, knowing everything you know, now, what would 1084 00:54:16,239 --> 00:54:19,319 Speaker 2: you tell your gonna say, thirteen year old self, But 1085 00:54:19,360 --> 00:54:21,399 Speaker 2: maybe it's more ye're eleven and twelve year old self 1086 00:54:21,400 --> 00:54:25,480 Speaker 2: who is going through that? Or could high school transition Yeah, 1087 00:54:25,520 --> 00:54:27,360 Speaker 2: what's one piece of advice you would tell yourself. 1088 00:54:28,800 --> 00:54:32,200 Speaker 3: I think it would be basically, don't stop doing something 1089 00:54:32,239 --> 00:54:35,719 Speaker 3: because you're worried about people watching you or staring at you, 1090 00:54:35,800 --> 00:54:39,000 Speaker 3: because no matter what you do, they're going to stare 1091 00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:42,919 Speaker 3: at you. Yeah. I just stop doing so many things 1092 00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:44,960 Speaker 3: like playing sports and stuff because I got sick of 1093 00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:47,640 Speaker 3: the attention and the crowds. And I'll come to line. 1094 00:54:47,640 --> 00:54:50,600 Speaker 3: You know, it doesn't matter what I do, people are 1095 00:54:50,600 --> 00:54:52,640 Speaker 3: going to crowd around and stare even if I'm just 1096 00:54:52,680 --> 00:54:56,520 Speaker 3: getting groceries, so and as well, just do what I 1097 00:54:56,600 --> 00:54:59,359 Speaker 3: want to do and ignore you know what the bikestanders 1098 00:54:59,360 --> 00:55:00,600 Speaker 3: are saying, Yeah, let. 1099 00:55:00,560 --> 00:55:01,160 Speaker 1: Him have a look. 1100 00:55:01,719 --> 00:55:01,919 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1101 00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:05,280 Speaker 1: Oh well, thank you so much. 1102 00:55:06,160 --> 00:55:08,360 Speaker 2: Your story was so incredible though, Like I feel like 1103 00:55:08,400 --> 00:55:09,400 Speaker 2: so many people will. 1104 00:55:09,200 --> 00:55:11,200 Speaker 1: Love to listen to get such kind out of it. 1105 00:55:11,920 --> 00:55:14,799 Speaker 3: I hope so well. 1106 00:55:14,840 --> 00:55:17,720 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for tuning into another episode about Spoken. 1107 00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:20,239 Speaker 2: If you did enjoy today's show, we'd love if you 1108 00:55:20,280 --> 00:55:22,799 Speaker 2: could tag us in your Insta story so we can 1109 00:55:22,840 --> 00:55:23,440 Speaker 2: reshare it. 1110 00:55:23,560 --> 00:55:25,520 Speaker 1: And if you would like to find out more about Shari. 1111 00:55:25,640 --> 00:55:28,800 Speaker 2: She is an incredibly talented writer and we've linked below 1112 00:55:28,840 --> 00:55:29,840 Speaker 2: her patron. 1113 00:55:29,480 --> 00:55:31,959 Speaker 1: Account details so you can go and follow her. Thanks 1114 00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:32,439 Speaker 1: so much,