People can be cruel online, that's for sure. Even doctors are not immune! An American woman who has been told that she was “too pretty to be a doctor” is hitting back at her critics through a series of posts on social media. How did she get them good, in the end?
Dr. Medina Culver, a successful family practitioner in Las Vegas, took to her Instagram account to share her thoughts on some of the hurtful comments that have been directed at her by complete strangers online, and in person. Shockingly, the internet is now merging with real life!
Dr. Culver, 31, has gained a following on social media for her self-empowerment posts and for posting about her accomplishments and her life as a physician, which she says is her way of encouraging more women to pursue a career in the medical field.
She also posts about her dogs often and shares photos of some of her exciting adventures with her husband of two years, David Williams. Who could have a bad thing to say about pooches? Only anonymous internet monsters, that's who!
Dr. Culver is really trying to use social media the right way, With more than 30,400 followers as of November of 2020, also uses her Instagram account to raise awareness on causes close to her heart. Doggos are definitely on the list!
According to Dr. Culver, she has her fair share of critics online. Some of them would call her “conceited” and “arrogant,” while others would doubt her claims about being told she was “too pretty” to have a medical degree and accuse her of making it all up.
The number of comments and messages — both good and bad — Dr. Culver receives on Instagram has been increasing steadily as her follower count continues to grow. She says she would normally spend a few minutes each day looking through her inbox and notifications, and, during her spare time, would respond to some of the comments and messages she receives.
One follower politely asked Dr. Culver if anyone had really told her that she was “too pretty” to be a doctor. She replied: “Oh yes! People have said it more times than I can count!” Are looks and brains really that mutually exclusive?
Dr. Culver once recalled during an interview how a medical school interviewer who had looked through her Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) results bluntly asked her if she had cheated since he doesn’t usually see women of her hair color score well on the exam.
The insensitive question stunned the 22-year-old blonde at the time, but she did not let it affect her negatively. She confidently told the interviewer that she did not cheat and that she worked hard to achieve her score. As she should have!
Nearly a decade after that bizarre interview, Dr. Culver is now an accomplished physician. She happens to be te only female partner at a family health practice in Las Vegas, a fact which she has proudly shared on social media.
Despite what she had accomplished, however, Dr. Culver says people continue to doubt and undermine her simply because of the way she looks. It's not right, and it's not fair. But if the anarchy of the net has taught her anything, it's that this view is still around!
In another post, Dr. Culver revealed that she has also been criticized for posting pictures of herself in a bikini. She defended herself by saying she will always post what she is proud of, and reminded those who post negative comments to simply unfollow her if they did not like what she was posting.
In August of 2020, Dr. Culver posted a bikini photo alongside one of her wearing scrubs and a white lab coat. At the end of her caption was the hashtag #medbikini. She asked all the haters to unfollow her, proactively! Even doctors like to go for a swim, sometimes.
The photo was posted in response to a highly controversial study published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery that claimed surgeons posting swimsuit photos online were “unprofessional.” Outraged female doctors worldwide soon began flooding social media with photos of themselves wearing bikinis with the hashtag #medbikini, which prompted at least two of the male doctors behind the study to issue an apology.
Dr. Culver later found out that it wasn’t just female doctors who had this problem. One follower, a lawyer, was once told by a female friend that she had to be careful about the photos she posts online since it could hurt her image. However, she observed that her friend didn’t seem to mind when their male friends would post shirtless pictures on social media.
The following month, Dr. Culver posted a short video about why she decided to keep her maiden name even after her wedding. Her explanation was short and simple: “Because my husband didn’t go to medical school.” Of course, duh!
Not everyone was amused by her answer, and more negative comments started pouring in. Days later, she posted another video sharing some of the comments that she received from her detractors. They got pretty spicy, indeed! No need to keep track, she decided.
One commenter accused her of not loving her husband and said he is likely miserable being married to her. Another said to her: “You’ll be divorced soon.” A terrible curse, but the internet won't bring this daring doc down!
Not all comments Dr. Culver received were negative, however. Many women applauded her for her decision to not ditch her last name in favor of her husband’s, while others defended her by saying that not changing her last name was a decision that was hers to make.
In one of her posts, Dr. Culver pointed out how social media can be brutal, and that people sometimes forget there is a real person with a heart and soul behind the phone screen. That should be obvious, but too many people forget!
In the same post, Dr. Culver reminded herself of the fact that there is more good than bad, and more support than disapproval in the world. She also expressed how thankful she is for the career that she loves. A blessing, indeed!
Encouraged by all the love and support from her many followers, Dr. Culver says she will continue posting messages of female empowerment, even if it means taking on more trolls. One superwoman against a thousand trolls will always prevail! Thank you, Dr. Culver.
Dr. Culver, who says she is “proud to be a female physician,” continues to post about all that she has achieved throughout her career. In a previous post, she talked about how one woman’s success should be another’s inspiration.
Dr. Culver says women should be lifting each other up rather than tearing each other down, and that women are strongest when they cheer each other on. She also regularly reminds her followers to never stop believing in themselves and that they, too, are destined for greatness.