Body positivity creator Tova Leigh has defiantly hit back at vicious online trolls who subjected her to a torrent of abusive comments, including being called a "fat cow," after she posted photographs of her natural body on social media platforms. The London-based influencer, author, and comedian has taken a bold stand against the harassment, sharing the hateful messages publicly while reaffirming her commitment to promoting self-acceptance and women's voices.
Confronting Cowardly Online Abuse
Tova Leigh, a mother-of-three with over 414,000 Instagram followers, regularly shares content about life, relationships, and body positivity, often featuring herself in various outfits. However, these empowering posts have frequently attracted negative attention from anonymous users hiding behind their screens. Recently, Leigh decided to expose these trolls by sharing screenshots of their comments alongside their usernames, directly calling out their behaviour.
The abusive remarks included phrases such as "damn you ugly as f***," "you can’t even turn old h*** into housewives," and the particularly cruel "ugly, fat old cow." Leigh posted these comments alongside a photo of herself wearing a black bra and underwear covered by a brown kimono, turning the hate into a platform for discussion about online harassment and women's experiences.
A Powerful Message Against Silencing
In the caption accompanying her post, Leigh explained her motivation for sharing the hateful comments. "I’m sharing a few of the comments I’ve received recently on some of my content," she wrote. "Some was about women’s desires, some about women’s rights." She expressed fascination at how some men react when women discuss their feelings and experiences, noting that while many listen and learn, others lash out with insults intended to silence.
"Over the years, I’ve noticed that insults are often used as weapons, with words like 'ugly' or 's***' being meant to 'silence us'," Leigh stated. "As if shouting them loudly enough will make us shrink, stop speaking, stop taking up space. But the truth is, it has the opposite effect on me."
Why Women's Voices Matter
Leigh emphasised the importance of continuing to speak out, not just for individual empowerment but as a collective reminder to other women. "Why women’s voices matter – and why it’s so important to keep speaking, not just for ourselves, but as a reminder to other women that we are not alone, not imagining it, and not too much," she wrote. "And most importantly, that we don’t need to shrink, or apologise for being exactly who we are."
Her powerful post garnered significant support, receiving more than 3,300 likes and 300 comments from followers rushing to defend her. One supporter wrote: "As always, you’re gorgeous and they are hurt little man children." Another added: "You're a QUEEN! In every way! Thank you for speaking out. You're an inspiration and you help me inspire my friends to love themselves also."
Motherhood and Legacy of Empowerment
This isn't the first time Leigh has highlighted online abuse, and she maintains that negative comments only strengthen her resolve. As a mother of daughters, she explained how this personal connection fuels her activism. "I am a mother of girls," she said. "And I never want my daughters to believe that a man’s opinion of their bodies, their age, or the way they choose to live should make them smaller – physically, emotionally, or otherwise. I never want them to shrink themselves to make others more comfortable."
Leigh concluded with a powerful declaration of self-acceptance: "So instead of hiding, I stand here – visible, unapologetic – celebrating the woman I am, in the body I have. And in doing so, I hope my daughters, your granddaughter, and any woman who has ever been told to take up less space hears this clearly: No. Simply no."
The incident highlights the ongoing challenges of online bullying on social media platforms, particularly targeting women who advocate for body positivity and gender equality. While social media offers connection and community, it also enables anonymous harassment that creators like Leigh are increasingly confronting head-on, transforming personal attacks into opportunities for broader societal conversation about respect, dignity, and the right to exist unapologetically in one's own skin.
