AN actress who played an Oompa Loompa at the farcical Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience has opened up on the relentless trolling she still faces – with some comparing her to a granny.
Kirsty Paterson, 30, has enjoyed very positive publicity on opportunities in the year since the Glasgow event.
Kirsty Paterson poked fun at her own viral picture[/caption]
Kirsty said she continues to be trolled over her appearance[/caption]
She’s landed talkshow interviews across the globe, booked acting gigs and even makes money from fan videos.
But she says becoming a viral meme has led to continued criticism over her appearance.
Photos of Kirsty looking glum with a costume and green hair went viral after last February’s flop.
Outraged punters had forked out £35 for tickets only to be ushered into a sparsely-decorated warehouse.
And Kirsty – dubbed the ‘sad Oompa Loompa’ – was trolled for her part in the event, which was shut down by police.
In a recent TikTok video, Kirsty claimed: “I’m probably the most viral person in the whole world for being a meme.
“Basically I did a really bad acting job, someone took a picture of it. Next thing I know I went on every single social media channel, news channel all over the world.
“It was supposed to just be a bit of fun, extra money and I didn’t think an awful picture of me would have completely changed my life. In both ways, good and bad. It’s just been a wild journey.
“Some of the constant issues I actually deal with [are] the trolling and the cyber bullying that goes on.”
She continued: “When I became a viral meme you get criticised for the way you look, you get hateful comments chucked at yourself online.
“It can be a group of people, it can be an individual person. It actually comes a lot of the time from people you know, people you know in your past.
“And this is something I experience every week. It was just the comments on my looks, saying I looked like an old woman, meth addict, told I need a facelift, I’ll never get a man, I was ugly and that I should die. A lot of people told me to kill myself.
“This random person I was friends with five years ago who I don’t even think about anymore and I’ve cut off for a reason. They just come back and when I’m doing better for myself, they are slaughtering my posts.”
Singleton Kirsty also revealed that “dating is very difficult” as guys think they can say what they want about her because of her viral fame.
She added: “But I think all celebrities or some influencers or someone who’s randomly became a meme all go through this and it’s difficult. it’s something I’m still getting very much used to.
“And it’s a big issue because I think everyone’s maybe experienced this on some sort of level but I’ve just experienced it on a global [scale].”
