If you’re seeking an honest opinion, Youtube probably isn’t the place to get it. The notoriously nasty commentators now hold the self-esteem of several pre-teen girls who are posting “Am I Ugly Videos” to the site.
If you search for “Am I Ugly” or “Am I Pretty’ on Youtube you’ll see dozens of results from young girls who ask the internet community to judge them. Some comments are kind, some are nasty, and some are downright cruel or inappropriate. The “Am I Ugly” videos have drawn racist comments, inappropriate sexual comments (these girls are about 12), and unnecessarily mean comments that could further damage the self esteem of these girls.
An apparent middle schooler who uses the Youtube name “sgal901? posted a video asking “Am I Pretty or Ugly?” Her video has been seen more than 3.5 million views and has close to a million comments. The comments range from “you are SO pretty” to “Your ugly as hell. You should go ahead and end your life.”
But who’s to blame? Are these girls asking for trouble by posing a personal question to such a wide audience? Should we expect a little bit more from the average internet troll?
The San Francisco Chronicle writes :
“A 12-year-old isn’t mature enough to deal with vicious remarks made by their mean-spirited peers and sick-minded internet trolls.”
Jezebel adds:
“Leave it to anonymous internet commenters to make middle-schoolers feel worse about themselves than they already do.”
Sgal901 says in her “Am I Ugly” Video: “I just wanted to make a random video seeing if I was, like, ugly or not… Because a lot of people called me ugly and I think I am ugly, ’cause I think I’m ugly and fat.”
What do you think of the “Am I Ugly” videos? Do you see a problem with these young girls seeking validation on the internet?
At 12-years-old (I’m guessing) they should be worrying about something else other than if they’re pretty or not. But the real sick part about these videos are the commentators? Who would tell a little girl to go kill herself?
