A couple weeks ago, 20-year-old La'Shaunae Steward from Charleston, South Carolina, posted a series of photos of herself to her Instagram.
Steward told BuzzFeed News that she shared the photos as she was super proud of the skirt — which she'd hand-frayed — and her T-shirt, which is printed with the logo of the skateboarding magazine Thrasher.
Shortly after Steward shared the photos, they were taken by people who turned them into a hurtful meme.
so does she eat skateboards cause she sure as hell doesn't ride them
Steward said the meme and subsequent mean comments made her feel extremely anxious. She was hurt to be targeted just because of her body and the brand of clothing she chose to wear.
so does she eat skateboards cause she sure as hell doesn't ride them
"I've been wanting to learn how to skate for such a long time — since I was a teenager — and I've always been scared of being 'too fat,'" she said. "I was bullied from elementary to high school, so this is what this situation felt like all over again."
@fuckvisuaI this is the funniest thing ive seen on twitter in a hot minute
People quickly rushed to defend Steward.
People don't find this funny @fuckvisuaI
The trolling was highlighted by model Reece King, who retweeted the meme but praised Steward instead.
Soon her Instagram was full of positive and supportive comments from people who were angered by the meme.
Another Twitter user, @cheesethedog, drew "the iconic" Steward in tribute to her. The drawing also went viral.
Drew the fucking iconic @luhshawnay for #cutiesaturday ❤⭐️❤
Steward said she loved the artwork and it was "a huge fuck-you" to her trolls. It's inspired her to keep pushing to achieve her dreams.
love this.