Tracee Ellis Ross posted a photo of her (covered) chest over a year ago, and a lot of people online are suddenly really unhappy about it. It is not unusual for the internet to body-shame women. However, the recent trolling of the Black-Ish actress goes way beyond standard-issue misogyny.
A comment section under said photo is jammed with ageist remarks, along with questions about her being single and childless. On the flip side, a significant portion of comments are frankly disgusting – objectifying and sexualising the actress. Women, especially those over 30, cannot win.
From the explosion of discourse on X over the past 48 hours, you would have thought the Pattern Beauty founder had posted the photo in question recently. However, it was a repost that beckoned the online haters.
The original post was from over a year ago and actually part of a carousel of photos where, despite how the repost looks, Paris Fashion Week is the focus, not Tracee's breasts. This said, the topless photo illustrated how women could enjoy their own sexiness at any age, and the original comment section supported Ellis Ross’ powerful claim of her own body.
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It was a different story for the repost. One X user commented: “Too old for this, disgusting”, while another ageist troll said “Get a grip, granny.” Another weighed in by claiming, “Thirst trapping at the age of 51 is insane.” The same commenter questioned, “Why you ain’t at home with a husband & children who had children… She is a victim of modern-day feminism.”
In an interview on The Tonight Show earlier this year, Ellis Ross said, “I am a 51-year-old woman going through power surges,” referencing her own “personal summers.” The Girlfriends actress has also spoken positively about her age with GLAMOUR, saying: “It is an honour to age.”
This said, Ellis Ross has been open about how “obsessed” the industry is with youth, particularly towards women. “I have vulnerabilities and discomfort around my age, but trying to pretend or hide the things I feel insecure [...] about doesn’t make them any less comfortable.”
At GLAMOUR’s 2017 Women Of the Year Awards, Ellis-Ross made a speech that went viral about her age and the societal expectations around marriage and children – and the actress has been vocal about going through perimenopause. These very expectations were a running theme throughout the hate comments.
“Oh, that’s why she’s single w[ith] no kids, [because] she an industry thot. Makes sense now,” said one user. Another said she was the “definition of a red flag and washed” because “no man ever wanted to marry her.” One of the top comments on the repost, with 3.1k likes, says “Ain't so too old for this sh*t, ma’am get yourself a husband, you are rich.”
The Broad City star said that being pregnant “highlighted both the masculine and feminine inside of me.”
On the flip side of the idea that Tracee is too old to show her body off, there was a portion of repulsive, sexualising comments. One user wrote: “More like Tracee GrabMyC*ck,” which was far from the only disgusting example of sexual harassment in the comment section. Why can a woman not exist online, free from being told to cover up or show more in order to satisfy (predominantly) men?
This said, if there’s one thing about Ellis Ross, she has a strong female fanbase behind her, who admire how she doesn't let her age determine what she wears. One of the top comments on the repost says: “It’s too many ugly broke ass people in the comments talking about what a successful rich black woman should be doing at her age.” This comment has 1.2k likes. Another user wrote: “She’s so fine omg.”
After Tracee originally posted the photo, one fan defended her on X, writing, “If Tracee Ellis Ross breast pic had been leaked instead of posting it on her own, y’all would be much more accepting of it because it’s autonomy & consent that actually bothers you.”
Ellis Ross, historically, doesn’t let the hate comments get her down, or stop her from continuing to take ownership of her own body.
A message for the trolls: women do not exist for you to comment on, and we should be able to wear what we want, show as much skin as we want and post what we want – without being subject to your inane commentary.
I'm pretty damn happy with my life, too, thank you very much.
