First she got sprung parking in a disabled parking spot out the front of her Gold Coast gym (and consequently attempted to defend her actions). Now she is being criticised for misusing an anti-bullying hashtag that goes way further than defending her own business decisions.
Y’know, just another day in the life of fitness star Ashy Bines.
On January 10, Now To Love reported the tragic news that 14-year-old Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett took her own life after being bullied online.
Amy, affectionately known as Dolly, passed away on January 3, understandably devastating her loving father, Tick Everett.
Soon after Dolly’s death, Tick to Facebook to urge young kids being bullied to voice their pain: “Speak now, even if your voice shakes.”
From Dolly’s passing and her family’s pain came one silver lining: a universal hashtag made by her loved ones, titled #DoItForDolly, aimed to draw attention to youth suicide and mental health issues, including depression.
However, it is this same hashtag that Ashy used in response to people commenting on a Facebook thread about her clean treats.
As reported by 9 Honey, it all started when a commenter tagged a friend in a post saying, “You know how they were discontinued? Lol.” Ashy, under the name Ashy Evans, then wrote: “Not sure what your comments are implying? If you don’t like them that’s OK no need to comment #DoItForDolly.”
On another post, Ashy wrote: “What’s with the hate girls? Spread LOVE. #DoItForDolly.”
An Instagram page dedicated to exposing “cases of stealing from thousands of Ashy Bines customers” reposted the Facebook exchanges, with many followers slamming Ashy for being insensitive to the hashtag and what happened to young Dolly.
One person wrote: “This is disgusting, the way she uses that hashtag – utterly irresponsible and exploitative.” Another said: “So insensitive, so rude.”
The criticism also came in the form of words like “vile,” “beyond wrong” and insinuated that Ashy has hit an “all time long”.
It’s been a tough 12 months for Ashy, with the Gold Coast-based mum-of-one now being sued for $150,000 by a fellow Queensland mother, an avid cook, who alleges that Ashy stole her recipes and claimed them as her own.
“I couldn’t believe a woman that claims to be empowering other women could do something like this,” Alexandra Dodd told The Weekly.
“I’m all for making an honest name for yourself and young women succeeding in business, I’m just not sure that Ashy understands the impact it has.”
If you, or someone you know, needs to talk to someone, call Lifeline on 13 11 44 now.
