Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide ideation and suicide. Reader discretion is advised. 

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A young woman from Hangzhou, China battled with depression after being criticised for her pink hair.

On Jan. 23, she took her own life.

Pink hair for graduation

Zheng Linghua had a bright future ahead of her.

The 24-year-old had recently been accepted into East China Normal University where she was preparing to pursue graduate studies in music education.

She was one step closer to achieving her dream of becoming a piano teacher.

To celebrate the milestone, she dyed her hair a bright shade of pastel pink.

According to Qianjiang Evening News, Zheng had said she hoped to be "bright and colourful in her graduation photos".

Photo with grandfather

Zheng's first instinct was to share the good news with her grandfather who had been hospitalised for nine months, wrote South China Morning Post.

Her grandfather had been her sole guardian after her mother died when she was six months old.

In July 2022, Zheng posted a photo with her grandfather holding the acceptance letter on her Xiaohongshu account.

The photo soon went viral as people weaved narratives surrounding the nature of the relationship between the pink-haired girl and the elderly man.

That was the beginning of Zheng's troubles.

Harassed online

According to Sixth Tone, "things took an ugly turn online when thousands began attacking Zheng for her hair".

Many associated the shade of her hair with sexual promiscuity, saying she looked like a prostitute.

One person wrote that Zheng was “a graduate student with hair dyed like a bar escort”.

That comment received more than 2,000 likes overnight.

Others would describe her as a "nightclub girl" or an "evil spirit".

They questioned her professional ability, indicating that a teacher with “bizarre” hair colour would not be able to carry out her job responsibilities.

Even her bedridden grandfather was not spared.

Xiaohongshu users tagged Zheng's post with captions such as “the old man and his young wife."

Tried to fight back

Despite the onslaught of slut-shaming, Qianjiang reported that the 24-year-old tried desperately to save herself.

She sought out psychiatric help and legal authorities to protect her rights.

Qianjiang also reported: "She saved the curses and insults on various platforms in the form of screenshots or screen recordings, printed them into a thick book, and asked the platforms to provide information about the infringers and Internet violence with the help of lawyers."

Zheng told reporters that she hoped her pink hair could become a symbol of strength and resistance to online violence.

On Aug. 25, she published a post, titled, “Why most people who suffer from online bullying chose to end their life”.

She implied that the passivity of social media platforms made them complicit in online bullying.

Later, she also wrote, "We should speak carefully online because once you say something bad, it can only be forgiven but not forgotten."

In her final online post, Zheng wrote under her username 鸡蛋姬 (egg girl), “This egg is alive and is trying its best to keep living."

A month later, Zheng made the decision to end her life.

Anti-cyberbullying movement

Upon hearing the devastating news of Zheng's death, her friend Xiao Wei expressed her grief on social media.

"In the last two months of 2022, [Zheng] kept telling me she wanted to commit suicide, wanted to jump off a building or hang herself, but she didn't have the guts to. I deeply felt her despair and helplessness. There is no effective medicine for depression, I could only keep using words to heal her. After the incident, I wanted to find her but she was hospitalised. Afterwards we lost contact for a few days. I thought after her discharge, she wanted to cut herself off from the internet. I didn't expect to get a call from her father about her funeral."

She ended the post with, "I hope people will do less harm to each other, speak to each other nicely, and I wish that all those with depression will get better. I hope [Zheng] will find happiness in the next world."

Zheng's death sparked a passionate Weibo campaign against cyberbullying.

The campaign founder stated, “The internet was initially made to connect and support everyone, not to allow everyone to hurt each other."

“Today it’s hair colour. Will it be dresses tomorrow? The day after that, will it be ear piercings? And then what? Will Chinese women also have to cover themselves in black cloth?” another user wrote.

People also began belatedly praising her hair colour, telling her she looked beautiful.

One person wrote, “I wish you will become a pink flower that grows forever in the spring."

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear.

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

Top image via Xiaohongshu 鸡蛋姬