Fifth Harmony Struggles To Cope With Cyberbullies, Being ‘Slut Shamed’
Fifth Harmony band members recently opened up to image-focused insults the all-female group deal with on a daily basis, according to a new report.
In a recent interview published by U.K. magazine Glamour, Fifth Harmony members Normani Kordei and Ally Brooke Hernadez discussed a wide range of issues such as advice for self-confidence issues and how females are currently over-sexualized in the music industry, according to some artists.
Normani Kordei addressed the latter issue, speaking about how she and other members of the Fifth Harmony group were treated after their video to the first song from the 7/27 album was released.
“It really sucks because when the ‘Work From Home’ video got released, we got great comments, but we also got really nasty comments where people were like ‘these sluts’ and we got completely slut shamed. It was just unfortunate because we’re women and we want to feel sexy and we like to look at ourselves with shorts and crop tops and whatever makes us feel confident.”
Camila Cabello shuts down a slut-shamer on social media: https://t.co/mahtf4WWRS pic.twitter.com/TRwm9KILpM
— Just Jared Jr. (@justjaredjr) April 26, 2016
Normani Kordei gently rebuked those comments, focusing on the work she and her fellow Fifth Harmony band members had put into their body before the “Work From Home” video.
“I know that we are women and we’re super proud to be women and we work really hard on our bodies. We work every single day and we just love to be able to present that and show everybody that we’re proud of who we are. Women come in all different shapes and sizes and ethnicities so we really love to show that and be the voice for those girls who don’t necessarily feel confident… I don’t think you should judge somebody on whatever it is that makes them feel good. Just let them be.”
Slut-shaming isn’t the only type of bullying that Fifth Harmony members have dealt with over the past month. In another incident in October, fellow Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui also dealt with cyberbullies during a recently Twitter exchange about political views, Entertainment Tonight reported at the time. Lauren Jauregui became the second Fifth Harmony member to experience cyberbullying after Normani Kordei did so earlier this year.
Like Normani Kordei, Lauren Jauregui decided to take a break from Twitter in order to escape the situation. Unfortunately, the Fifth Harmony bandmates struggle as they get through these experiences, the singer told Entertainment Tonight.
“You can’t help it as a human being when you’re put under so much scrutiny, by multiple people, not even just one person in real life, telling you something. It harms you. We try to sit with each other and lift each other up, and these people who are telling you things, these people are all behind their computers who are envious of what you have, and the abilities that you have.”
Ally Brooke Hernadez is able to provide her Fifth Harmony bandmates with advice about regaining confidence after dealing with cyberbullies. Being an uplifting force for her fellow Fifth Harmony singers allows Ally Brooke to boost her friends’ confidence.
“I think the best thing you can do is surround yourself with people who appreciate you and value you, and who are good for you. Because that makes a huge difference. And maybe just look in the mirror every day and start with one thing you like about yourself… Believe it or not, we’ve tried it before and it actually worked because you sit down and take the time to really appreciate yourself.”
What do you think about Fifth Harmony dealing with cyberbullies and slut-shamers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
[Featured Image by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images]
