Melissa Gibson takes aim at cruel Instagram comments about her relationship

Like many couples, Melissa Gibson and her boyfriend Johnathan heralded the start of 2018 with a kissing photo on Instagram.

“2017 brought you into my life, and we face 2018 together. Wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else,” Melissa, a blogger and activist for body positivity, captioned the image.

Instagram photos like these are a dime a dozen on come New Year’s Eve, but Melissa’s received a flood of hateful comments - all because of the way her body looks.

LISTEN: The 9Honey Life Bites podcast on the promise and perils of FOMO. (Post continues.)

Speaking to CafeMom, Melissa further scrutinised the idea that attraction somehow ‘belongs’ to people with bodies that fit a certain societal mold.

"What they are doing is not only defining a person's worth by their body, but also then buying into ideas about who deserves to be loved and by whom," she explains.

"Beauty is not so narrowly defined and really if you believe it is, you are the ones missing out."