Australian entertainment powerhouse Abbie Chatfield has shared an incredibly candid video about a vile experience she had at the Australian Open.
While the Australian Open is an event that unites folks from all walks of life to enjoy a series of tennis, Chatfield was met with a disgruntled punter, who appeared to make fun of her while she was working with a brand at the event.
Taking to Instagram on January 16, the FBoy Island host shared a snippet of a video from a man named Marcello who approached her at work.
“Bro, who is that cuz, who are you?” the man in the video yelled towards Chatfield before she replied, “Hey, I’m good. I’m the high kick champion of the Australian Open. I’m kinda like a ball boy”.
Before she could finish her sentence, the man cut Chatfield off, spouting, “You wish cuz, you were a high king champion cuz”.
Right after the snippet, Chatfield tearfully explained that she was just doing her job and that she was having fun with the crew during a busy work day.
“It was raining and it was a hard day at work for everyone it was difficult to get what we needed, so we were just being really silly with each other,” she shared.
She then recalled that she thought the man behind the video was just a curious onlooker, but unbeknownst to her, the man had other plans.
“This man comes up to us and with this camera and says something to me, and I’m obviously trying to be silly back, saying ‘I’m just the high-kicking champion,’” Chatfield recalled.
“It turns out he was actually saying awful things and trying to film me to get internet clout.
“What? What was I doing wrong there I was working. I’m sorry that you’re jealous that I got paid to go to the Australia Open and you had to pay to get in, but I was just a woman existing, and men are so emboldened in our life.”
Chatfield continued by taking aim at the comments under Marcello’s video, and said she was “so exhausted” with all the hate she gets for being an advocate and using her platform for women’s rights and domestic violence victims.
“I’m a normal person at work, and someone filmed me,” Chatfield shared.
“The comments are horrific and awful towards me, and literally, all I do is speak about politics, left-wing politics, and advocate for women’s rights and domestic violence victims … I’m just so tired.”
Towards the end of the video, Chatfield shared some wisdom from her mother, expressing that she pities men who “have to live in that brain”.
“I’m so sorry that you’re so sexist that you have to hate women who earn more than you, are smarter than you, and have more going for them than you. I’m so sorry,” she continued.
“I guess it’s like my mum always says, feel sorry for them. Because imagine being in their little brain. Imagine being so sad and pathetic. They have to live in that brain. They have to live with it.
“I’m just tired. The comments are so horrific, but yeah, at least I live in my brain, and I have a beautiful life, and they live in their brain. So sorry, chook.”
Furthermore, in the caption of the IG post, Chatfield echoed her mama’s advice.
“Regardless, this violence and aggression from these men is only getting worse. Men, please call out people who have ideals like this. They are becoming emboldened. It’s a dangerous combination to lack intelligence yet be full of aggression, particularly toward women,” she wrote.
On her Instagram Stories, Chatfield revealed that she reached out to the content creator regarding the video. In the DMs, it appears that Marcello attempted to call Abbie and then described the video as “playful banter”.
“Love how they always backtrack and say, ‘I didn’t mean anything’ when he uploaded a video of him staunching me (filmed without my consent) then harassing me, then captioned it calling me a ‘crumb’ and encouraging trolling to me,” she wrote.
In another Instagram Story, Chatfield acknowledged that people who tell her to “not let it affect you” have good intentions. However, urged folks not to say it to her as her post painted a picture of what she has to endure daily.
“Please don’t tell me to get over it. I understand that you’re trying to be helpful but saying to get over it and to move on … like it’s really invalidating,” she shared.
At the time of writing, Marcello has seemingly deleted the video but hasn’t addressed Chatfield’s statement publicly.
