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torn apart
Trolls’ reaction to teen snap shocked me more than the death threats I got for my dating style, says Megan Barton-Hanson
She admits most of the online abuse came from other women, some of whom were mums
SHE’S the legendary Love Island bombshell who sent hearts racing when she entered the famous villa.
But, away from the Spanish sun, it was an unearthed photograph of Megan Barton-Hanson that sent social media trolls into a frenzy back in 2018.
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The innocent throwback snap showed what Megan looked like aged 16 before she underwent £25,000 worth of plastic surgery - and the crazed vitriol online left her stunned.
The ex-stripper, 30, from Southend-on-Sea, says: “I was shocked but I wasn't surprised.
“I've dealt with slut shaming and shaming for my appearance from such a young age, but I didn’t think people would be that harsh about a 16 year old girl’s looks.”
Megan was portrayed as the femme fatale when she appeared on series four of the ITV2 reality show - where she finished in fourth place with then-boyfriend Wes Nelson - and also got flak for her approach to dating.
Speaking to Fabulous for Shamed, a new YouTube series which explores the effects of trolling on six famous women, she says: “I thought I was prepared for it.
“I thought people were going to be judgmental about the way I moved in the villa because I was going for what I wanted, not settling and being more of a male energy - and that I’d come from a stripper past.
“But I didn't expect people to tear apart my appearance when I was a 16 year old girl.”
She adds: “Even the most naturally stunning people would look back at a picture of themselves from a decade ago and be like, ‘wow, what were those fashion choices’. I was in that awkward teenage era. I was shocked at the reaction.”
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Megan says the abuse mostly came from older women, and she even received death threats.
She says: “When I first came out of Love Island, people were really mad.
"It wasn't just my looks. I think it was the way I conducted myself.
"I was unapologetic. I went for what I wanted but at the end of the day, Love Island is a game.
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“I didn't have loyalty to the girls and I think people didn't like that aspect of me, probably more than the physical-looks side of it.
"I think that's why I got the death threats.”
Reflecting on the childhood snap, Megan says she “felt fine about myself at the time” and jokes that she thought the “Specsavers £30 glasses” looked “edgy and cool”.
The reaction was not dissimilar to the bullying she faced at school as a preteen.
Megan was taunted by peers because of her ears, so much so she ended up having them pinned back - her first ever surgery.
But, even after having the operation, the bullying continued.
She says: “Kids are evil. I remember going in with the bandages on, obviously my ears were healing, and some guy just clapped me around the head.
"It was bleeding all down my neck. Kids are brutal.”
In the end, she underwent therapy on the NHS to help deal with the name-calling.
Megan says she never had the confidence to confront the bullies but thought it may have helped her deal with online Love Island trolls.
She says:
“I thought I was pretty resilient because of that, but I don't think anything can prepare you for the sheer volume of trolling when you come out. People love to tear other people down.”
Megan Barton-Hanson
Megan admits she “made the mistake” of responding to the trolls - which only made matters worse.
She says: “I’d see people would have their kids in their profile picture and I would think, how are you inciting hate on someone who's in their early twenties?
“Your kids are going to be that age one day. How would you feel if a 40 or 50 year old was bullying your kid like that?
“I did try and call them out, but really I think that just excites them more. I learned pretty quickly to nip it in the bud.”
Megan - who has had a nose and boob job, lip fillers, veneers and Botox - doesn’t think trolls are motivated by jealousy, saying: “I think some people feel in their social circles they would be judged harshly if they were to be as empowered, open and as liberated as me.
“Because they can't do it, they’re angry about it. I think it must be something to do with them feeling like they can't be authentically themselves.”
Megan also faced a backlash for sleeping with Wes Nelson, as well as fellow contestant Eyal Booker, on Love Island.
She says: “If I dated someone and I had that connection, I'm not going to let society dictate to me when's the right time. This is my one time on earth.
There’s such a hypocritical double standard for men and women. On one show I was on, a boy revealed he’d slept with 500 women. He was championed for that, at least in the villa amongst the other boys. But why can’t a woman sleep with someone on a first date?
Megan Barton-Hanson
“If I've got that vibe, if someone is there and is six foot six with a six pack, best believe I'm sleeping with him. Whenever I want. There is no time limit because Karen told me to.”
Megan, who is bisexual and an advocate of LGBT rights, now uses her platform to give empowering advice on sexual stimulation, worthwhile sex toy purchases and relationship woes.
She also runs a successful OnlyFans account, which is reported to net her between £20,000 and £70,000 each month.
While Megan has said “never say never” to more surgery, she believes happiness is more than skin deep.
She says: “I think there's a fine line thinking the outside shell can fix inside happiness. For you to love yourself it is so much deeper than what you see back in the mirror.”
While Megan has battled with her mental health in the past, she feels strong and happy today, saying: “There is no one-size-fits-all with mental health.
"I don't think there's one day that you just click a switch and you're happy for the rest of your life.
A whole plethora of things affect my mental health. It’s a constant uphill battle. I think as well as a society, we always put happiness on a pedestal and it's never really attainable for a long period of time. Life is ups and downs.
Megan Barton-Hanson
“I surround myself with really positive people who inspire me, who I can feed off their energy and their positivity.”
She adds: “I think with age you do get more self-assured.
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Early teens is a really tricky age for everyone. I would say inside and outside it's the happiest I have been.
Every year I get more confident.”
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