What's that noise, you ask?
Oh, that's just our blood boiling after we heard the news that a swimwear brand owner has been outed for 'slut-shaming' a young model, who took umbrage with a photo of herself being used in a shop in Australia.
On Wednesday, 19-year-old Queensland model Stevie Alger was informed via Instagram that a picture of her posing in a Aquadiva Swimwear bikini would be displayed at a pop-up shop on the Gold Coast, according to Daily Mail Australia.
However, when she replied to the brand's Instagram account admitting she felt self-conscious about the photo they wanted to use, she received a torrent of abusive and sexist remarks from none other than the brand's owner, Allison Appleby.
Yes, the owner.
'So disappointed Stevie - I personally chose you because you seemed like such a nice girl. This is such a rude and immature way to treat us,' Ms Appleby wrote in a private message with the model, which has since been shared publicly on Instagram.
'You don't seem to be self conscious in your latest post with the way you are portraying your self image - sitting with your legs so far apart!
'It seems like you are just like a lot of other Insta girls - so fake. From Allison,' she signed off the post.
And breathe, breathe.
Outraged with Ms Appleby's response to her admission of insecurity surrounding the photo, Alger replied: 'Oh wow that is by far one of the meanest and rudest messages I've ever received. I think it's fair for every girl to feel self conscious from time to time...'
Unsurprisingly, the brand's owner is now concerned her hurtful comments might negatively affect her business and has spoken out in defense of her remarks .
In an interview with the Mail Online, the entrepreneur said: 'She doesn't seem to be the self-conscious girl she's portraying herself to everyone on Instagram.'
'When I asked her what she didn't like about the photo, she just left me hanging for 10 minutes,' she added.
Ten minutes? Are you kidding?
In social media and texting terms, a 10-minute wait for a response is lightning-speed.
Heck, I've got week-old messages from my Mum that I'm yet to reply to. Sorry Mum...
'I feel so sick to the stomach about it. I have apologised to Stevie twice now but she has not accepted my apology,' Ms Appleby noted.
Er, that might have something to do with the fact you not only slut-shamed her for voicing her insecurities – a rarity in this world when showing vulnerability is often viewed as a weakness – but also don't seem overly apologetic as you continue to condemn the model's career choice as a contradiction to her revelation that she too can feel insecure at times.
In a last attempt to claw back some respect and compassion from customers, Appleby added: 'I didn't even know there was a term [slut-shame] for it. I'm not completely savvy with all the technology young people use these days.'
To blame social media for serving as a platform to one's misogyny isn't a valid excuse.
Contrary to what Appleby may believe, 'slut-shaming' is an ugly phenomenon that plagues society both on and offline.
Fortunately, Ms Alger isn't allowing Appleby's comments gnaw away at her confidence.
'I absolutely think what she said and how she has handled herself is wrong in so many ways, but I think it will be best to end it here to hopefully move on,' she told the publication.
'I'm a huge believer in standing up to bullies and I'm lucky to have [my boyfriend] by my side to help me. I'm very happy that at least we made a point and hopefully she will never treat someone like that again,' she added.
While Alger might earn a living from wearing bikinis and posing for the camera, let's not forget she's also working in an industry which heightens the sense of perfection and is more than allowed to experience and speak out about the everyday concerns about beauty we all have.
Self-doubt in the fashion industry is a subject several of the business' most highly-respected supermodels have opened up about in the past.
In 2014, Victoria's Secret models Alessandra Ambrosio revealed about how they often feel self-conscious posing in bikinis and underwear under the prying eyes of the world.
' I definitely feel self-conscious if the bikini is too small or kind of digs into my sides. There are definitely times,' Prinsloo told Cosmopolitan.
Ambrosio added: 'We Brazilians have these big barbeques with lots of meat and they're super heavy, and the last thing you want to show is your stomach.'
Last year, body-positive model Iskra Lawrence admitted that despite her promotion of self-love and diversity in the fashion industry, she still struggles on occasions with feeling insecure about her body.
Describing the feeling when, on a recent holiday she found she couldn't fit into a shop's largest pair of jeans, she says: 'In that split second I returned to my 15-year-old self, like, What's wrong with my legs—are they huge?'
'Then I was like, Whoa, wait a second: this fabric here is going to make me have an internal battle? Are you kidding me? At some point in my life, that would have been the end of the world. But now my self-worth isn't defined by it.'
In order to rid society of insecurity we need to champion women, diversity and the numerous definitions of beauty the world has to offer, not 'slut-shame' them with offensive and derogatory language.
