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It’s no secret that social media is a great place to connect with old friends, stay informed and get involved in important social movements. But in the same breath, it’s also a space where cowardly people spend way too much time hiding behind their computers harassing and bullying others.

Tayja Jones-Banks, 17, knows first hand what happens when you get caught in the crosshairs of this type of vile treatment.

It all started last weekend, when Jones-Banks decided to attend her very first prom in her Pennsylvania town. She told  FOX 29 News that she wasn’t even going to go, but after her family and friends encouraged her, she went for it.

“I felt good and I was happy,” she told

But that happiness faded after she posted pictures of herself and her dress on social media. The next morning, she woke up to hundreds of crude and disrespectful comments about her weight and how she looked that night, making her regret even going to prom.

“People I didn’t know were just like, ‘That dress is not for her. She looked like a fat something.’ It was just really hurtful. I was so confident the day before and it just changed my view of myself,” she admitted. 

Natina Parker, her mother, told Fox 29 that she was “heartbroken” for her child. 

“She was just really depressed and sad. She doesn’t want to go out the house. She doesn’t want to go to school. She doesn’t want to go nowhere,” she said. 

But thankfully, the story doesn’t end there.

Because for all of the haters on Twitter and Facebook, there were plenty of people–mostly strangers–jumping into the conversation defending Jones-Banks, affirming her beauty and silencing her body-shaming critics.

All we have to say is keep your head up baby girl, you are truly beautiful!

RELATED LINKS: 

You Are Appreciated: Son Gives His Mama The Prom She Never Had

‘Risqué’ Dresses That Got Nine High School Girls Kicked Out Of Prom

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