As Lauren Fryer is attacked by online trolls - is partner Declan Rice really a 'hero' for defending her?

Lauren Fryer, long-term partner of footballer Declan Rice has been the victim of ongoing trolling on social media, being described as a ‘’whale’’ and ‘’disgusting’’, deleting her account on Instagram as a consequence. And yet again, it’s another example of women being scrutinised for their looks in the media and for not living up to so-called ‘’beauty standards’’, and it’s simply awful. It reveals a lot about our society’s values, when the focus is not placed on Fryer as a supportive partner and mother of Rice’s child, but instead on her appearance.

Women in the spotlight can never win. Not only are they expected to live up to unrealistic ideologies surrounding the ‘’dream body’’, but these are also constantly changing. In Ancient Greece, women were expected to be curvy, whereas in the 1970s, it was the flat stomach women were expected to have. Now, it’s the hourglass figure. Who knows what ‘’trend’’ is next?

This problematic culture where a woman’s value is based on her appearance needs to be destroyed, and women should no longer be treated like objects to be scrutinised as this is just a clear example of how much it can affect women’s lives. It’s not just Fryer, but something experienced by many women in the spotlight, including actress Rebel Wilson, and singer Lizzo.

Fryer’s story represents a wider problem with the media, but also stems back to the problematic ‘’wag’’ culture and opinions on what the perfect ‘’wag’’ looks like. Something feels outdated, and derogatory about women being described purely due to their relationship to men. Many have actually spoken out against this homogenisation and reductive stereotyping eg that they are all ‘dumb’ and fake tanned.

Coleen Rooney told BBC Woman’s Hour: ‘’We all live different lives. We are all individuals. So to bring us all together in one term is unfair’’. Even the Equalities and Human Rights Commission declared that the word is ‘’offensive’’. In 2024, this ‘wag culture’ feels like it should be coming to an end but its far from it.

Even now, the spotlight on Fryer’s trolling has turned into praise towards Rice for defending her as the ‘’love of his life’’. On social media, he has been described as a ‘’true gentleman’’ and a ‘’hero’’. Of course, I’m not denying that Rice did the right thing, but people are focusing on Rice being her ‘knight in shining armour’ feels wrong.

Isn’t defending your partner against abuse fairly standard? Seemingly, the standards for men to be described as a ‘hero’ are a lot lower than women’s.