Joe Harker
A newlywed bride has hit back at people who've trolled her over her wedding dress after they claimed it was 'inappropriate'.
Influencer Ellie Gonsalves tied the knot with Ross Scutts recently - donning three designer dresses throughout the occasion - but unfortunately, some trolls wouldn't let her have her big day all to herself.
Some parts of the third dress were made of relatively see-through material which led to her being trolled, but she's now penned a lengthy response to their criticisms.
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Taking to 9News, Gonsalves wrote that she wasn't ashamed of her dress despite the controversy and backlash she faced from some places.
The influencer wrote that the trolling was a 'step backward for women's bodily autonomy', saying it was 'disheartening' to be on the receiving end of a 'barrage of hate'.
"I want to delve into the broader issue of women's autonomy and the need to challenge the restrictive narratives surrounding their choices," she said.
"The derogatory comments I received highlight a fundamental misunderstanding of women's agency over their bodies. Society often expects women to conform to predetermined standards, limiting their freedom to make choices that reflect their own desires.
"Every individual, regardless of gender, should possess the autonomy to decide what they wear, how they present themselves, and what they share with the world.
"By denying women this autonomy, we perpetuate a harmful culture of control that infringes upon their fundamental rights."
Gonsalves said it was 'liberating to wear what I want' and was embracing the idea of 'unapologetic authenticity' on the grounds that it was her wedding and her life so she can wear what she likes and people shouldn't get to act like they can tell her otherwise.
She called on men and women to 'inspire and motivate more push back against negative stereotypes' so that people could flourish and be themselves without getting a swarm of trolls leaping on them.
All the hate and insults thrown her way because of her wedding dress appears to have only made her more determined to do what she wants.
Fans of the influencer have been offering her words of support following the trolling, with people telling her the people calling out the wedding dress were doing it 'without realizing how limiting that is'.
Gonsalves has also directly engaged with some of her trolls, telling one 'FFS lighten up girl' and that if they 'don't like it, change the channel'.
A troll who tried to claim she was looking 'fast and loose' led the influencer to fire back: "The only thing that’s fast and loose was your mum’s hands when she dropped ya on your head as a child."
Ouch.