‘MAFS star Olivia Frazer doesn’t deserve the abuse she’s copping’

MAFS star Olivia Frazer has become this season’s villain but what you see on TV is the tip of the iceberg compared to what’s happening in real life.

OPINION

Married At First Sight contestant Olivia Frazer is currently at the bottom of a searing, hateful, giant social media pile-on.

Yes, she’s the one who infamously shared a nude photo of fellow contestant Dominica, and yes, she’s also the one who never seemed particularly sorry about it. But does she deserve what’s happening to her now? No.

Currently, Frazer’s social media comments have been turned off because of the influx of hate. On Tuesday, she appeared on 2Day FM’s Hughesy, Ed & Erin, where she told the hosts that “she was a shell of a person”, “more hated than Vladimir Putin in Australia” and had lost her job because of her behaviour in the reality show.

Basically, Frazer’s whole life is currently in a state of overwhelming chaos.

Olivia Frazer from MAFS is being cyberbullied by the Australian public. Picture: Nine.

The hatred directed at her now is so intense that any article written about her, which is then posted to social media, is inundated with vile comments. She can’t escape it, and she’s telling us loud and clear that she’s not OK, but is anyone actually listening?

Honestly, I am, and every day the hatred continues, the more concerned I am for Frazer’s mental health. Who can withstand so much cruel criticism?

It would be easy to think that attacking this woman online is harmless. After all, you don’t go on a reality TV show because you don’t want the public attention, but realistically, do you think Frazer foresaw getting the villain edit? And therefore, the whole country hating her?

She probably thought the show would make her an influencer, and post-show, she’d be in the throes of navigating skinny tea sponsorships and activewear deals, not wondering which death threats to notify the police about.

Jackson Leonie and Olivia Frazer in MAFS. Picture: Nine.

These mass pile ons are incredibly dangerous, and we’ve seen just how dangerous they can be. According to Metro, over 38 people globally have died by suicide after stints on reality television shows. Yet our treatment of people we decide we hate because of how they’ve appeared on a highly edited reality television show remains the same.

Most recently, Hana Kimura took her own life after appearing on the Netflix reality show Terrace House after being met with a ton of criticism online in the aftermath. It sounds eerily similar, doesn’t it?

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of Frazer. I’ve watched along and found her behaviour morally bankrupt. Who shares around another women’s nudes? So on some level, I get the inclination to want to message her and tell her how much I think she sucks!

But Frazer isn’t just copping criticism at the moment; she’s being torn apart online and fielding everything from insults to death threats. I’d bet my entire Doc Marten collection on the fact that a producer had a role in sharing that nude photo. After all, it’s unmissable television.

Olivia doesn’t deserve the deluge and ferocity of the criticism she’s receiving. Picture: Nine.

I’m also aware that the Frazer I’m seeing on MAFS is presented and edited to me by Nine. Among the chaos, it would be easy to forget that Frazer spent the bulk of her 20s caring for her dying father and that at the beginning of the show she seemed pretty nice, even sweet. But is that side of her life or personality being discussed? No. Why? Because it doesn’t fit into the villain narrative that has been created for her.

I don’t think Frazer’s behaviour shouldn’t be discussed but do I believe a 27-year-old woman deserves the amount of hatred she’s facing now? Of course not, it’s disgusting, and I’d argue it’s the kind of cutting hatred we seem to only reserve for women. There were plenty of men on this season of Married At First Sight that behaved poorly, and none of them are copping it to this degree.

Are we happy yet? It always strikes me as interesting that we often choose to treat someone who has behaved poorly by behaving poorly ourselves. Yes, Frazer shared a nude photo without permission, and I hope she faces the full extent of any legal repercussions, but I don’t think bullying her is productive or helpful.

Frazer needs to be admonished and perhaps punished for her behaviour, but supposedly we live in a civil society, and it should be done in a civilised way. This kind of online bullying is no better than Frazer’s behaviour. It feels like the punishment is now far exceeding the crime and at what cost?

Mary Madigan is a freelance writer / @maryrosem