It's been nine years since Rebecca Black's "Friday" debuted to much derision. Black, now 22, is back in the spotlight thanks to a Twitter post marking the official anniversary, which fell on Monday. "i just wish i could go back and talk to my 13 year old self who was terribly ashamed of herself and afraid of the world," she wrote. "to my 15 year old self who felt like she had nobody to talk to about the depression she faced. to my 17 year old self who would get to school only to get food thrown at her and her friends. to my 19 year old self who had almost every producer/songwriter tell me they'd never work with me. ... you are not defined by any one choice or thing." Black has talked in the past about the bullying she endured after her song came out, but as CNN notes, "the backlash was more traumatic than she let on then."
Reaction to her tweet was overwhelmingly positive, though some commenters couldn't help themselves from still hating on the song or even Black herself. "This is a very scary reminder on how super impactful the internet can be," reads one response retweeted by Black. "A lot of people made fun of her, and for them that was it. But for her, she went through a massive struggle for many years. You never really know how you can affect people with words. People forget this." Black, who still releases music you can listen to here, said she was "confused and grateful" at the love sent her way after her tweet. "i could have never imagined support like this. [thank] you a million times i just wanna cry!! (happily!!!)"
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