'RCB Girl' Opens up About the 'Abuse, Trauma and Mental Torture' after She Went 'Viral'
At the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad match on May 4, a girl in a red top was picked up on camera for a few seconds.
While Royal Challengers Bangalore won by four wickets, the 'real star of the match' wasn't on the pitch, but apparently in the stands: The 'girl in the red top'.
The RCB girl' was the moniker given to a mystery woman spectator and RCB supporter who was seen cheering in the stands during the match.
During the match, a camera shot of the girl after the camera paused on her for 5 seconds went viral on social media.
5-seconds was all it took for a horde of Netizens to take screenshots of her face, share it all over Twitter other social media platforms, and ultimately track down the girl — only to reveal her identity and put it on display for the entire world.
In 2019, we're still stalking women and calling it "going viral."
After the match, the Internet went into a tizzy trying to find the mystery woman, a cricket fan who didn't know she was being stalked.
The girl has since gained over 150k followers, and her modified Instagram bio now reads, "#theRCBgirl."
About ten days after she 'went viral', the 'the RCB girl' took to Instagram to talk about the incident. She posted a picture with the caption detailing how the while she "grateful for the love," she was "disturbed by the unnecessary negativity. It has been an extreme case of abuse, trauma and mental torture."
"I am no celebrity, just an ordinary girl who was enjoying the match. I did nothing to warrant the kind of attention that ensued after the TV images appeared & I certainly did not seek it," she shares in her post, talking about how she was found at the match itself.
Speaking about how complete strangers tracked her down on the Internet and then revealed her identity to the world, the woman writes, "I am confused as to how people found my name/profile. My identity, privacy & life have been hacked in an instant".
She further talks about the hate she faced for no fault of her own. "A lot of the overnight followers are men who have used this platform to be crude, vulgar, vicious & entirely disrespectful. Even more shocking is the hate I have received from women. How quick & cruel you have been to say mean things to & about me without even knowing me."
"I am appalled by how I have been judged & condemned instead of being given a compassionate hearing. Stop & think about how it is as a girl to have been subjected to this unwanted attention," she continued further in the post.
"I am #theRCBgirl but I am SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT," she added.
Her post on the Instagram has over 100k likes, and at present she has over 320k followers. She also has a verified tick on her profile.