Was Ashley really such a bad person?
...as far as I know there’s no evidence of any such behaviours for a very long time.
She certainly wasn't a good person. Her following and interest in her had dwindled over the years, so even if she
was engaging in those kinds of behaviors still, there's a chance we never would have known anyway. It seemed like she was still up to all her same antics, dry begging with almost every post she made, sympathy farming, and making sure to post the most shocking body checks she possibly could, while feigning innocence about it... knowing full well most of her friends/followers she regularly interacted with were disordered and probably would find it triggering. She found joy in either triggering or horrifying people.
You could always see echoes of the old, evil (or at least cruel) Ashley come out when someone would comment concern or remark on her horrorshow body checks. Or when they'd bring up another well known person with an ED like Eugenia Cooney. She legit said nobody was allowed to even
mention Eugenia on her page. She wanted the ana-queen status and reveled in it. She'd go from this sweet innocent act to full on snarky bitch mode if someone dared to not kiss her ass in the way she wanted.
Her replies on Tumblr often were the most telling, but even on Instagram I'd see her cop attitude in comments, as if she didn't bring on the concern herself by what she posted. The
"Don't bring up my appearance or health because I am mentally ill and this is a safe space" was bullshit and disingenuous. She lived for people commenting on her appearance. Literally
lived for it. Survived on that spite. She reveled in the chance to let her bitchy side out. To know she worried, scared, or triggered people. She wanted a "safe space" while never affording the same to anyone else. The old Ash was always in there, even if the malnutrition dulled the razor sharp edges of her personality.
The silence and apathy in her death by anyone who knew her is telling. The fact that We, the humble farmers, seem to be the only ones who noticed or cared enough to acknowledge her passing and eulogize her in our own way speaks volumes to the bridges she must have burned with nearly everyone she knew. She was a bad person, and nothing of value was lost.