The Lauren Fryer Body Shaming Has to Stop
The Body Shaming and Bullying of Lauren Fryer Has Got to Stop
Image Source: Getty
The online harassment of women for simply existing shows now sign of slowing down. Currently, the nation is talking about Lauren Fryer, the girlfriend of Arsenal and England football player Declan Rice, and mother of their son, Jude. The pair are high school sweethearts and started dating when they were both just 17 years old. The paparazzi recently snapped pictures of the pair on holiday and the commentary surrounding Fryer's body and appearance online has been vile. The 24-year-old was subject to so much online harassment and body shaming that she reportedly deleted all of her Instagram pictures on the social media app.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time Fryer has been subjected to this kind of vitriol. In December 2023, a tweet went viral on X (formerly Twitter) of two photos of the couple enjoying a holiday together, with a caption: "Declan Rice is a multi-millionaire, athletic, 6'1 elite footballer and yet he settles for a f*t girl..." Rice has even defended his girlfriend in a press conference when asked about the awful comments, saying: "My woman is the love of my life, and there is no upgrade that exists for me."
The disgusting comments, along with others, have now resurfaced after the paparazzi photos, and a number of people have jumped to the young woman's defence, including body confidence influencer Alex Light, who made a brilliant video breaking down the awful abuse. One X user wrote: "What is wrong with society that we have to pick apart women and how they look? Lauren is absolutely stunning. Well done Declan for defending you lady's honour. Not that you should have needed to." Whilst another person wrote, "Lauren Fryer deleting all her posts off her socials just shows how disgusting people are to women on here. Mocking a woman's looks, her size, you name it — especially when football is involved!"
The body-shaming of Fryer is a reflection of our deeply-damaged society and ingrained societal norms, which have left some to feel this is acceptable. Women today still have to battle against these unrealistic beauty standards. It's also just extremely disappointing to see that society still places so much emphasis on physical appearance and judges relationships based on superficial standards. The couple are clearly happy in their little family — shouldn't that be all that matters?
What is wrong with society that we have to pick apart women and how they look?? Lauren is absolutely stunning. Well done Declan for defending your lady's honour. Not that you should have needed to. #LaurenFryer #DeclanRice https://t.co/KR1N86RSDA
— Susan Bunch (@SusanBunch17) April 22, 2024
The users who have come to Fryer's defence on X also bring up a valid point — the age-old sexist tropes and stereotypes surrounding British WAGs(wives and girlfriends of high-profile athletes) only heightens the abuse towards her. The scrutiny faced by these women regarding their bodies often stems from societal pressures and unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by media and public perception.
In the past, these women's relationships with high-profile athletes often thrust them into the spotlight, making them targets for intense scrutiny. The media's portrayal of them has often been sensationalised, focusing more on their appearance, lifestyle, and controversies. This has only perpetuated harmful stereotypes and contributed to unfair treatment. There was always this idea that they should look a certain way — and that way is (what society might call) 'perfection.'
Watching this vile treatment of Fryer unfold is eerily reminiscent of the treatment of wives of footballers like Coleen Rooney in the early 2000s. The 2006 World Cup was the peak of the WAG obsession and the women were scrutinised heavily for their looks and even, when the 'Baden-Baden' scrutiny spiralled out of control, being to blame for Englaf crashing out of the tournament. Seeing people online pushing for Declan to "upgrade" from his high school sweetheart because her outward appearance doesn't fit into their box of what a footballer's wife should look like, is like watching history repeat itself and it should be condemned.
Have we learned nothing over the years? What happened to "be kind?" To think that a young woman has been bullied online, to the point of removing almost all traces of herself, is just deeply sad. A once-confident woman who was happy with sharing glimpses of her life has been discouraged and body-shamed that heavily. It's disgusting and all those involved should be ashamed. I'm sure that the perpetrators haven't even spared a thought about the deep mental and emotional damage body-shaming can do to a person — the trauma can last a lifetime.
In case anyone needs a reminder: leave women and your assumptions surrounding their bodies out of your conversations.
Aaliyah Harry (she/her) is the associate editor at PS UK. She writes extensively across lifestyle, culture and beauty. Aaliyah also has a deep passion for telling stories and giving voice to the voiceless. Previously, she has contributed to Refinery29, Grazia UK and The Voice Newspaper.
