Em Rusciano has weighed in on the online feud between high-profile Australian bloggers Constance Hall and Lisa Shearon.
The comedian today penned a passionate Facebook post slamming Shearon for firing the opening shots, in what she described as a “poisonous” and “unnecessary” personal attack on the Like A Queen author.
“I think the blog post that woman wrote to shit on Contance Hall and her Queen movement was every level of unnecessary,” Rusciano began.
“A difference of opinion is one thing, I get it, we all live, love and parent in our own ways; but that was targeted, personal and very public.”
The whole saga began when Shearon posted an article to her popular blog The Notorious Mum titled “I may be many things, but a queen I am not.”
The lengthy piece railed against the “cult-like, hero-worship aspect” of Hall’s online community, suggested it framed “motherhood as a form of oppression” and argued that it made post-baby “belly rolls” appear superior to over a healthy and active lifestyle.
She also took aim at shortcomings in Hall’s grammar and spelling.
Lisa Shearon and Constance Hall. Images: Facebook.
"Like all good cults – sorry, movements – queendom started with the best of intentions. It continues with the best of intentions. It raises ALL THE MONEY for good causes. I am RIGHT behind that. It makes lost, lonely mothers feel like they’re part of a gang. That is the good shit," she wrote.
"But I’m putting my hand up here and saying: I’m not a queen. A queen mother, maybe, but not a queen."
Hall responded by writing a (now deleted) Facebook post to her more than 970,000 followers, to say that Shearon's words had left her fighting off "a major panic attack".
Image: Facebook
Supporters on either side of public tousle took aim in the days following, attacking the other primarily via social media.
As Shearon wrote on Facebook yesterday, "They came in their hundreds, abusing and insulting and hell-bent on destroying."
However, while Rusciano thinks it's "shit" people have been attacking the Perth mother, she believes she should have seen it coming.
"Bothering to deconstruct someone in such a poisonous fashion was always going to have consequences, I'm surprised the blogger is surprised at the vitriol coming her way," she wrote.
"And the comments about Con's spelling and punctuation, seriously? She could've easily written a blog post about how she's against the current trend to tell the warts and all truth about parenting online, without naming and shaming anyone.
"Played the ball and not the man."
Top Comments
I actually don't think Shearons blog was nasty - just that the cultish feeling and aspects of it were off putting. That's up for discussion and not inappropriate. I don't like people going on about grammar though as it is petty ( I am terrible with spelling and grammar and nothing will change that).
What's the deal with women constantly attacking each other in general? It's so tiring. I'm sick of it. Women are each others worst enemy. We get upset about the way men talk about us but then get on the keyboard bandwagon and go and attack others if we don't agree with what they've said/done. What happened to "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"
It seems like anyone with a social media account these days thinks it's okay to post whatever they want, be it unkind or supportive. Who gives a fuck if you agree with someone's opinion or not. It's THEIR opinion. Spend less time attacking other women and more time building them up.
We need to give each other a break! So critical and judgmental of each other. If someone pisses you off, call your bestie and Bitch about it, then get over it. You want to post something on social media? You're suddenly "fair game". I have an idea, why don't we just, say, ACCEPT that not everyone is the same. This world is made up of women (and men) of all shapes and sizes and beliefs and hair colours and parenting styles and some women want to have kids and some don't. Who are we to judge or attack another woman for exercising her right to have a difference of opinion. I disagree if she has maliciously attacked this other person but I'm speaking generally here ladies. We need to bloody stop putting each other down all the time. Just stop the bloody HERt #stoptheHERt
I challenge you to try for a week, if you see someone wrote something horrible to someone, write something nice in return.
Just respect ourselves as WOMEN.
Women are not required to like each other to be taken seriously and treated equally.