Erin Moriarty Is Speaking Out Against Misogynistic Trolling From ‘The Boys’ Fans Who Make Her Feel ‘Dehumanized’

Internet rule number one: Never read the comments. Internet rule number two: do not randomly share your thoughts on a woman’s appearance (or anyone’s, really) in the comments. These rules are not mutually exclusive. In an article for Medium with the headline, “#IStandWithStarlight: The betrayal of Erin Moriarty by The Boys ‘fans’” self-proclaimed The Boys enthusiast butcherscanary wrote about the sexist harassment that Erin Moriarty, who plays Starlight on the Prime Video series, faces on social media.

“For Erin Moriarty, a tale as old as time in both the industry and world of fandom repeats itself: unsolicited commentary on her appearance,” they wrote. “Even bullying feels like too lighter term when every post and pose is bombarded with hypercriticism and speculation, when you have to search out the good, or even just the neutral, because the negative is so cruelly overwhelming.”

Moritary shared the article on Instagram, writing, “I do feel silenced. I do feel dehumanized. I do feel paralyzed. I’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into this role (over & over & over again), I’ve grown UP in this character’s shoes (*emphasis on grown up – we change & evolve mentally AND physically). So with that I say: a) thank you to @butcherscanary b) this does break my heart.” She continued:

I’ve opened up a vein for this role and this kind of trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against and c) everyone’s going through their own battle(s); let’s not add to that. I will never intentionally (and ESPECIALLY) publicly add to yours. This has only strengthened my empathy muscle and to anyone who comes at me: I see you, I I don’t hate you, I only empathize and forgive.

You can read Moriarty’s post here.