CrossFit: female athletes face constant abuse and sexual harassment on Instagram with little help from app
- The social media site, which is a must for marketing and promotion, has a dark side: constant sexual harassment
- Female CrossFit competitors find themselves between a rock and a hard place as they need the site for their careers
A number of female athletes detailed the endless online abuse and sexual harassment they have endured for years, with little help from authorities or the site itself.
Dani Speegle, who came 26th at the 2019 CrossFit Games, outlined horrendous experiences, when men would send vulgar messages and nude photos. One has consistently harassed Speegle, sending her naked photos from burner accounts.
“This man has, for over four years now, created probably 20 new accounts and sent me the same thing over and over again,” she told Morning Chalk Up. “So the very first one I’ve ever gotten, I get probably every other month. I’ve gotten it every other month for four years now.”
Speegle’s story is all too common, and CrossFit women are not immune to it. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are breeding grounds for sexual harassment towards women, and perpetrators can be relentless.