For several weeks now, fans have been expressing concerns about the welfare of Jinger Duggar.
Social media commenters expressing fears about the well-being of Duggar women is nothing new, of course.
But it’s somewhat unusual in the case of Jinger, who long ago escaped her problematic family and started a new life in Los Angeles.
These days, the concern for Jinger has less to do with the impact of her family and more to do with her physical health.
Numerous commenters have stated that they feel Jinger looks too thin in her most recent photos.
That sort of observation is rarely helpful, which is probably why Jinger has yet to respond to it in any way.
But some fans believe that Jinger’s husband, Jeremy Vuolo, has decided to address the situation without saying anything about it.
Jeremy has been posting more photos of Jinger than usual this week.
And in all of them, the mother of two appears happy and healthy.
It could be a coincidence, or it could be that the constant running commentary has led Jeremy to take indirect action.
Whatever the case, the photos seem to have changed the conversation.
"Jinger looks so refreshed and beautiful and also happy," one fan commented on a photo of Jinger that Jeremy posted on Sunday.
Compare that to the comments found on a recent photo of herself that Jinger posted, and you can see what a welcome change this is.
"She looks so frail and pale compared to some pictures from this time last year," one commenter wrote on the pic.
"I know having two young children and a childish husband will drain you, but I hope this poor girl is getting a break somewhere."
"She looks scary thin too. I am officially concerned her eating disorder is back," another observed.
"Oh my god. I hope she’s ok. I can’t even snark on this, she looks like she’s wasting away."
"I’m worried about this girl. I’m not going to comment on her appearance. But I’m hoping she is well," a third chimed in.
We call this "concern trolling."
That’s the name for the phenomenon in which commenters justify their cruelty by claiming that they’re speaking out of genuine concern for the stranger that they’re insulting.
Now, it’s possible that some of the people who left comments about Jinger’s weight were genuinely worried about her health.
But it’s very, very unlikely that any of those comments had a positive impact on her diet or self-image.
And it’s worth noting that Jinger hasn’t posted any new photos of herself this week, so the insults may have had a negative impact.
Jinger already beat the odds by escaping her cultish upbringing to find happiness far away from the influence of her overbearing parents.
Let’s not pile onto her trauma by offering unsolicited advice about her health.
We know that social media has created an environment in which many people feel comfortable saying things that they would never say to someone’s face, but this is one of those situations where it’s crucial to keep any inappropriate remarks to yourself!