Why Keira is NOT the villain on The Bachelor

The Bachelor's Keira Maguire has found herself at the receiving end of a whole lot of hate in Australia right now.

The controversial reality star has been coined as this season's 'villain', but is our nation being too harsh?

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The 29-year-old revealed to OK magazine that she was avoiding social media after being called the C-word.

Add to that the countless memes she has been a victim of:

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Even someone with the thickest of skins would struggle not to take it to heart.

So what is it that has her rubbing everyone up the wrong way? Her confidence? Her no filter approach to confrontations?

Keira is without a doubt one of the main reasons people tune into the show - even host Osher Gunsberg thinks she's been one of the best contestants the show has seen.

"I’ve got to say Keira is one of the best Bachelorettes we’ve ever had in the history of the show," he said to News Corp.

"You’re never left wondering what she really thinks. She absolutely cannot hide her expressions. And I think it makes everybody feel fully across it. Because nobody’s going to worry about what she’s going to say about them, because she’ll say it to them. It’s great."

After last night's showdown between Keira and Eliza, a Network Ten publicist declined any interviews on behalf on Keira, saying she was being “rested” in light of all this negative publicity.

But Eliza, who went head to head with Keira, leapt to her defence: "I applaud her courage to be so opinionated. Sometimes, sure, you want her do it in a more tactful way but everything is heightened."

Yes she's outspoken, lacks tact and can come across as slightly cocky, but she's on a heavily-edited reality show!

In the words of former Bachelorette Sam Frost to cyber bullies: "Those empty words you write behind you keyboard have an eternal effect on the person they’re directed at. You have no idea what battles people are facing behind closed doors. Just because you are invisible and silent behind your computer, doesn’t mean those words don’t have an impact.

"You could ruin their day, their week and even their life... Why waste your energy cutting down others? You don’t need to play the bully."

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