Evanna Lynch speaks out about overcoming negativity

Since today is Internet Safety Day, Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) has spoken about her own experiences with cyber bullies in a piece for the Irish Independent. Evanna writes that when she joined the Potter cast as a teenager, she

“…was somewhat prepared for the inevitable internet onslaught in the wake of my casting. I was already an active member of the Harry Potter Internet fan community and had seen how quickly passion turned to rancour when a beloved book series and the specifications of its characters were at stake.”

Yet, she admits that despite her knowledge of the internet world,

“…there is nothing quite like seeing hundreds of nameless, faceless strangers on the Internet take a picture of you and ruthlessly analyse and tear it apart, pixel by pixel.”

Evanna continues to say that

“…when you’re 14 years old, a comment suggesting you don’t belong somewhere you already feel entirely ill-fitting can seem like the loudest, truest, most resonant voice in the world and can totally shatter your already delicate self-esteem.”

Evanna writes that experiencing these sort of comments drove her to stay away from interacting online. Until, that is, she was introduced to Twitter. She says,

“the loudest and most significant message that emerged among the tweets, and that is reiterated to me on a daily basis, is ‘You gave me the courage to be myself’. I by no means take credit for this awesome, lofty achievement. I portrayed a character who represents self-acceptance [and] freedom and who wore her weirdness like a fabulous rainbow[-]coloured faux-fur coat; loud and proud.”

Later in the piece, Evanna reflects on both the negativity and positivity she has experienced online. She admits that

“each week on Twitter I find that I have to temper my gut reaction to defend myself against the one derisive, mocking comment that is crouching meanly in the corner.”

While these comments,

“showed me that while the Internet is a very open, insecure and at times unsafe place, it can also be a forum for friendships and inspiration, shared ideas and collaborative art, if (crucially if) that is what you seek.”

Despite the negative comments that she has received, Evanna writes that she has learned to “focus my attention on the people who remind me to see the beauty in the world and in myself.”

Evanna concludes by saying,

“It’s about consciously choosing light over dark. It’s about realising that even if we don’t have the strength to stare these hurtful comments plain in the face and say “you’re wrong”, we have the strength to search for those people who will convince us that the bullies and the nasty things written about us, or others, are wrong.”

To read the full piece, visit the original article here.

What do you make of Evanna’s postive message? Are her words inspiring? Let us know what you think.