Matt Gaetz under fire for body-shaming teen activist

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has landed in another controversy for allegedly body-shaming and bullying a young activist. In a tweet on Sunday night, Rep. Gaetz tweeted a picture of Olivia Julianna, a teenage activist and captioned it with "Dander raised".

Gaetz’s tweet was a quoted tweet of a media house that had said that the Rep’s recent ‘rant’ on abortion activists would raise the dander of his political opponents. Olivia replied to Gaetz’s insensitive tweet stating that bullying her won’t make him taller or his forehead smaller. Olivia also shared an article in another reply, reminding Gaetz of a sex trafficking probe against him.



In his alleged body-shaming rant against abortion rights activists, Gaetz reportedly remarked that women who were unlikely to get pregnant were the ones most worried about abortion rights. He also said that nobody wanted to impregnate women who looked ‘like a thumb’. Gaetz further remarked that the protesting women were 5’2 in height and weighed 350 pounds.

Replying to Gaetz’s remarks, Olivia said that she was 5’11 and 6’4 in heels, adding that she wore heels only to remind small men like Gaetz of their place. In another tweet, the political strategist at Gen-Z for Change said that though she was just 19, she was too old for Rep. Matt Gaetz. She also described Gaetz as an alleged pedophile for his involvement in a sex trafficking racket of a 17-year-old girl.

On a side note, Olivia informed her followers that she had been suffering from eating disorders throughout her life and that she was hospitalised for the same in December last year. However, she added, she was in great health and had her diabetes and other chronic illnesses under control. On Gaetz’s comments, she remarked that the Congressman should be worried about the investigation related to his sexual misconduct more than teenage activists.

Olivia claims that many Republicans have been attacking her on social media for her fight against anti-abortion laws. However, she affirmed that she would not quit her struggle for justice.