For real, guys, don’t miss a blessing in disguise when it’s right in front of your face–even if it’s goddamn terrifying in the moment. If I hadn’t taken advantage of a total shit situation this exact time a year ago, I wouldn’t be typing this, wouldn’t have grown into the woman and professional reporter I am today, and wouldn’t have had started this site at all.
In a nutshell: I pissed off a celebrity.
I was writing full-time for an entertainment site and put out a piece that I still don’t regret. You guys know how I feel about bullying (largely due to my past). So, I called out Chrissy Teigen one day for being a hypocrite. In short, she was responding to internet haters by calling them names and for lack of a better term, just being flat-out mean. I thought she was being a bully, so I called it like I saw it. Some would argue she was just defending herself. But calling out bullies by being a bully? In my opinion, it just wasn’t cool.
She wasn’t happy about it.
So, she took to Twitter to personally call me and the site out. Because of the company I worked for, there was sort of a conflict since she technically worked for the same one. Next thing I knew, I was getting calls from HR, essentially saying they were taking Chrissy’s side over mine, asking me what happened to get to the bottom of the story like it was some kind of FBI investigation. I was even given a temporary suspension.
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Needless to say, I was not OK.
I was pacing my apartment, lost my appetite, wasn’t getting any sleep, thinking I had ruined my career over one harmless opinion piece, fueled by my past of being bullied–which is something I don’t take lightly. I was feeling all kinds of wild emotions: regret, fear, anger, uncertainty. Meanwhile, I felt betrayed that a celebrity was easily chosen over me even though I was dedicated to that company for years and worked my ass off. And all because she’s a celebrity. Now how is that fair?
I realized I had two options.
One: I could kiss some ass, try to right the wrongs (that I didn’t even believe were wrong), and attempt to save my job.
Two: I could see this as a wake-up call to take control of my life and make a change–write what I want to write and say what I want to say, no-holds-barred. Oh, and stand by the piece that I believed in and wrote in the first place.
Guess which one I chose.
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When I embraced the latter, I was so liberated, I didn’t even give it a second thought. Without any job lined up, I put in my two weeks notice and jumped ship. I didn’t know how I’d pay my bills or survive in a brand-new city. But next thing I knew, I was approached with opportunities I would’ve never dreamed of. And yeah, started my own website with my own voice.
I look back at that pivotal and also terrifying moment as the proudest choice I’ve ever made.
To be honest, it also makes me feel like a total boss, even to this day. I stuck to my guns, and now I won’t let anyone screw with me or my opinion, even if it is a celebrity. So stand by your principles and hold your own. Even typing this now and reliving it is giving me that same exhilarating feeling of the exciting unknown, with butterflies in my stomach. When life is screaming at you to do something, even if it’s uncertain or scary, fucking do it.
PS–In all seriousness, thank you for changing my life, Chrissy Teigen. I owe you one.
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