TO THE CREEPY IMPOSTER
Dear Facebook and Flickr user Makena Becker. you are not me. those photos are not yours. and those children certainly aren't yours either. your creepiness has me reeling. you have five hours to remove all my photos, all my words, and all your really skeevy claims to be someone you are not before i take legal action. you have infringed on my copyright. and i am pretty freakin' ticked off and grossed out by it.
thank you to reader paola for letting me know about this.
i would have loved to keep this a lot more vague and focused more on the idea of creating your own life, how figuring out who you are, little by little, and being true to that potential and the people you love is what makes life really great. and i think the higher road is to maybe leave names off.. but i can't. this is just too weird and violating and there is no possible explanation i can think of where someone would do this "innocently." if you have an idea, i'd love to hear it. i'd love to have something to wet the fury burning in my chest.
until then, i've got a birthday party to prepare for.
also: i have operated this blog the same way i try to live my life- based in faith and happiness and expecting the good rather than fearing and expecting the worst. this is not the worst, but it is really really weird. and i may need to adjust things around here for awhile until i figure this out..
ADDED: dear people (the non creepy ones), i love you. i sincerely do. i wish you were all here in person. i would hug you and thank you, wipe away my angry tears and take you to the park for a big picnic. we'd eat fruit, watch kids run around, soak up the sun and celebrate life (and the fact that the pictures were all taken down! hooray!!). after getting in our fill of spring at the park, you'd help me try to foster a little bit of sympathy and a little understanding for those who do things that aren't right, but then we'd let it go and move on... and after all that i'd try to sucker you into helping me make cupcakes and clean and decorate for tomorrow's party.. i've got a lot to do and am suddenly sooo very tired.
thank you again. truly.
xoxoxo
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 11:02AM
Reader Comments (537)
That is SUPER creepy and really disgusting. I wish you the very best of luck in finding the creep. I'm truly horrified for you right now!
That's awful. Why do people think they can get away with this kind of thing?
I just checked both Flickr and Facebook and they have removed her accounts-they aren't available-I went to go report the creep too! So-thankfully looks like the problem has been taken care of but I would be super freaked out still. Thank you for sharing your life with us all-you are truly an inspiration and I hope you continue!
I also love reading your blog and I'm inspired by your creativity. I still wish we could have lived in the same ward boundaries and not south of it ;)
So sorry to hear that this has happened to you and I am relieved that this has quickly been resolved. I have often thought of placing a watermark on all of my photos on my blog and FB (especially those of our little boy). After this post, I am all the more determined to go forward with it.
Our very best to you and your sweet family.
Be well,
Martha M.
(P.S. Bill says hi to you and C.)
Katie,
I just wanted to echo my support of you. I am so sorry that such a creepy thing has happened to such a well-meaning person as you. I cannot imagine how violated and fearful you must feel and rightly so. I'm a long-time fan of your blog and am so encouraged by you. Keep your chin up. I'm so proud of the grace you've shown in handling this. What a strong Mama Bear you are!
xo, Jaime
Hi, I can't remember how I came across you blog... but I just wanted to say that the same thing {well, in essence} happened to me earlier this year. It's freaky and kinda jolts you a bit. I am really sorry this has happened to you, and I hope everything has been cleared up, and if not - I hope it is cleared up soon!!
Kristen
This is disgusting. I'm so sorry you and your family had to go through this.
This is disgusting. I'm so sorry you and your family had to go through this.
How bizarre!
I found your journal a while ago now. I love reading about your life with your darling children. Your dedicated and creative ways.
I guess I could imagine that a person who didn't have as full and wonderful a life as yours could, in some twisted, anonymous-internetty kind of way, fabricate a persona with your stolen images. It's quite sad, really.
Good luck with your party.
Cheers,
Peta
- Sydney, Australia
This is terrible! I don't know what to say- this is just so shocking. I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened to you and your family. I hope you'll be OK.
I just came across your blog from another about your darling Easter dresses you made for your daughters and this was the first blog post I saw. My mouth seriously fell open. Wow...wow...is all I can say. I hope there is closure to this and how awful that this has happened.
I do look forward to reading the rest of your blog...the clothes you make for your daughters are just darling!
My Best!
I looked just now, and she no longer has a facebook, keep strong and she will lose her flickr. Good luck best wishes! and stay safe. Ps. I absolutely love reading your blog is has helped me keep hope for my own wonderful family!
How awful that somebody did that! I've heard of it happening to other bloggers and I just don't understand why someone would copy someone else's life. Weird. Creepy. Hugs to you during this difficult time.
That's really disturbing and I'm sorry for the stress you and your family must have been under; you and I don't know each other but I followed a link to your blog, almost a year ago, and am so glad I did. I find you refreshing and smart and just a delight for the eyes, mind, and soul.
I hope this experience doesn't sour your feelings about blogging because I'd be sad to no longer have access to your projects, crafts, ideas, and decorating (swoon!). You project a quiet simplicity as a mother and woman and I admire that tremendously. Nonetheless, you must always do what's best for you and yours and I understand completely.
Best,
Amanda
Stay strong, you did the right thing in speaking out. That person is awful. I truly enjoy your blog, especially your candour and the sweetness of your family so please do not let this stop you :) xoxoxox
I am starting to think that perhaps this is part of some spammimg. phishing blitz. They gather names from this person, pictures from that, stealing willy nilly then create profiles and personas and go about gathering friends and contacts for information. Is it possible?
I am really sorry this happened. I think that your trust is a beautiful thing, and I would hate to see your faith spoiled by this unfortunate incident. Now. I wanna hear about Eve's birthday. I think you and your family are fabulous and inspiring!
Oy, I bet MaKena feels like poo now.
What a creep! So weird! So scary!
I love your blog....please keep trusting your genuine readers. I love your blog. I have a daughter the same age as your eldest and I feel buoyed when I see you having similar experiences to me when raising little girls in this crazy world. I am a budding dress maker and so like getting inspiration from you from across the pond.
Don't let one person ruin the relationship you have with all your other readers.
xx from Ireland
Katie ~
I read your blog weekly and faithfully, I have never posted.
This is so terribly sad sad sad.
Praying for you all during this terrible time, hand onto your faith - it will see you through.
Much love and blessings,
cathieb
okay - can't type today ~ that was to say hang onto your faith - I am sure you got it though :o)
I really hate this for you. Of all the wonderful posts I've enjoyed, I had to comment on this. The gloves come off when it comes to your kids, and I would expect nothing less from a mother who is as passionately devoted to her children as you are. Please feel this community supporting you!
urgh, that is creepy. hope you're feeling better. would love a big picnic and to help make cupcakes. but erm you have no idea who i am and we live halfway across the world from each other probably. anyhoo, hope you all have a superduper party and happy birthday to whomever the party recipient is!
oh forgot to say i said a little prayer for protection over you and your family. am hoping this never happens again to you or anyone else cos it's horrible. also hope that person finds their own identity.
i am so sorry. I went out with a friend tonight and she started talking about the theft of a blog and how awful it was. I thought she was referring to another thief who has stolen the posts from at least 3 other blogs and pretended they were her own, including children. But then my friend mentioned your blog name to me and I couldn't believe my ears that the very same thing was happening to you. What is going on!
You must read 6.5 stitches blog.
I hope that it all goes away in a hurry and that you continue to blog as you have done. This is a horrible thing to happen but by being strong it will only empower the honest people and hopefully deter the deranged psychos out there from doing it again.
best wishes from Australia.
Ew, creepy! Hope she took them down, what a violation. :(