Eugenia Cooney is a 24 year old youtuber, who began making videos 6 years ago. Her content consists of makeup tutorials, fashion outfits, and much more. I had honestly never heard of her until a fellow youtuber, Shane Dawson; released a documentary on his youtube channel titled, "The Return of Eugenia Cooney". I am so glad that I watched it and have a little insight on her life now. Throughout the video, you see clips from Eugenia's youtube page of some negativity she faced from her supposed "fans". When I began the documentary I had no idea what I was going to see. I thought the video was going to be very low-spirited. That was not the case at all, once you met Eugenia Cooney.
Shane Dawson went to Eugenia's house to interview her about her recent struggles with an eating disorder. I thought that the interview would be a story of Eugenia's difficult times and miserable recovery. I was wrong, because Eugenia has the most uplifting spirit. You see the comments some people make towards her saying she needed to inflict self-harm. There were other users calling her mean names like "skeleton" or saying she needed to eat more. It seemed as if some users were only on her page to spread hate and bully her, when they didn't know her story. Throughout all this Eugenia had the best attitude and encouraged others to stand against the hate. In Shane Dawson's video, Eugenia talks on how she has always been skinny even when she was a teenager.
Eugenia is so unapologetically herself and I am truly thankful for her. She has received hatred for her dark clothing, makeup, and her weight; but she stayed true to herself. She was posting videos on her page frequently, until this January. She decided to take a break from social media and focus on her health. During that time we later find out she was in a Rehab facility for her eating disorder. After the Shane Dawson video was released on July 19, Eugenia made three videos of her own titled, "I'm Back" , "What I missed while I was in Rehab with Shane Dawson!!, and "Trying Jeffree Star Makeup I Missed While I Was Gone". Although the rude comments must have been hard for her she didn't back down from her bullies. She would often read the cruel comments on some videos and respond with a positive answer.
I know many people have thoughts on others, but it is not their place to comment on them. Whether it be their appearance, beliefs, or background; no person should judge anyone. Eugenia made the bold move to recover, but it wasn't so her haters would stop judging. Eugenia knew she wanted to help herself for herself. While watching some of her previous videos she has always been open to what her interests and hobbies are. She doesn't care how people see her and what they think of her. She is kind, considerate, and appreciates her fans.
I think most people spread hate because they are insecure on the inside or someone hurt them. That is sad, but not an excuse. You see Eugenia received so much unwanted hate, but never lashed out at the verbal abusers. She killed them with kindness, which I'm sure wasn't easy. Nothing about Eugenia's recovery could be easy, but she is trying. She said in the video with Shane that she hopes her story helps others. Reading comments from 3 years ago to 3 days ago, you can see a drastic change in people's attitude. Many people wish her well and applaud her for what she is doing. I think Eugenia not only helped people with their body image/eating disorders, but also with spreading kindness. Eugenia is undoubtedly an inspiration.
