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)
Katie, I am so sorry this has happened to you! How sick! You are right, there is no way this could be done innocently. Don't stop blogging. You are an inspiration to so many.
Love you!
that is so terrible! i'm glad that the pictures were taken down – !! i can't believe how weird some people are - very sad but so very much a violation!!
wow....that's completely crazytown! Hugs to you and a virtual middle finger to your idenity stealer.
Sooo glad/relieved that the photos are down, but oh my goodness. I am so so sorry! how awful. the internet can sometimes be a scary place. I am a mother of two myself and I can imagine the devastation. Know that you have a big support group at the other end of your screen, willing and waiting to help in an means one can. Thank you for sharing your self that way.
God bless.
I'm a lurker (but not in a creepy way). It looks like someone wants your life, and that is very scary! I would feel so violated.
All that being said, I love your blog! I admire your creativeness, and only wish I had talent like yours. I want to be able to sew everything you've sewn for your children (who are adorable and the perfect models, by the way)!
That makes me want to vomit. It's sickening. You've just experienced the worst fear of all of us mama-bloggers, and I am so so sorry it happened to you. It makes me want to take down every picture of my kids I've ever posted and then fly over to NY and give you hugs and make those cupcakes! I hope you are feeling the support of all of us here in Blogland as we feel your pain. I agree with a previous poster, you have been robbed. So put up a donation button so we can help pay for the lawyer, OK?
I'd totally make those cupcakes and clean your house if I was there.
hugs.
Mer
hi- i'm so sorry. i have never commented but wanted to send my
thoughts your way. i have been SO inspired by what you share
on here, and it is really sad that people take advantage and do weird
violating things like this. i hope you are able to forget about this
unnerving incident soon. best. kate
i'm so sorry you have become a victim in this sense. that is freaky!!! press charges and get some money for this insanity!!! that's the least this makena person can do!
wow! Oh my. What a horrible situation, but I pray, pray, pray that you will continue to share your creations and life by blogging. You are such an inspiration- don't give up! I learned about your blog almost a year ago via another creative artist- and I've been hooked since! I even started sewing (well....um, I attempt daily but have yet to make anything fabulous). I would hate to see your creative work disappear from the internet all because someone out there felt the need to imitate you (she must have liked what she saw too....a little too much). Know you are loved and appreciated out here in the blogging world.
I am so sorry to hear about this. I too have been the victim of copyright infringement but this is a violation that I cannot fathom. Best wishes in getting this issue resolved as soon as possible.
I'm without words... why would someone do that?
I hope everything resolves quick, and that you let us know what steps you have taken to get everything back on track. Hugs.
Katie,
I've enjoyed your blog so much and it sickens me that someone would so maliciously twist your wonderful words and images. I hope you will have a satisfying resolution to this bizarre situation. I'd like to think that the friendly, kind and thoughtful people on the Internet outnumber the weird, sick and malevolent ones.
Thanks for all the inspiring images and words - I hope we will see more in the future. I wish you and your family the best.
Katie, I don't usually comment when stopping by your blog (just laugh with you and get inspired by you and root for you) but absolutely felt compelled when I saw your post. I'm so sorry that this has been thrust into your life... I think it is what we all fear when putting things "out there" for others to be inspired by, and again, I'm outraged this is even something you have to deal with. All the best as you navigate this with your family. I hope it is taken care of swiftly and that you are able to move on from this as swiftly as humanly possible.
that's really, really creepy. I hope it all gets taken care of soon
i'm so sorry this happened, how creepy! love your blog - i'm moving to nyc this summer (from the netherlands) to marry my big love. your blog always makes me happy about little things in life and about new york, in some way (i was there for over a year before). just telling you this to let you know there's lots of non-creeps out there who enjoy you share little bits and pieces of life!
Ugg...wierd. Sorry, Katie! That makes me squirm in a big way. Let me know if you change things up. It is always fun to see what is going on with your family. I hope your b-day party goes well. 6yrs old...that is a land mark and many more missing teeth. going on loose tooth # 7, I am not sure how she can eat anymore.
This is awful! I've been meaning to tell you how inspired I've been from your blog- I used to live in Brooklyn so I love seeing the photos and I've made your quilt, the Easter dress for my daughter, some of the built by Wendy dresses and the freezer paper transfers. I get so excited to hear and see what you and your family are up to next so I was so sad to read this recent post and hope it doesn't discourage you from keeping this wonderful blog- but I can see how it might! So sorry this happened!
my sister in law Amy Palmer was just telling me how fun you and your family are and how much she loves you guys.
This is SO creepy. yuck!
mean people stink.
I hope the party was a success
Ugh. So sorry that you've had to experience this. I've often debated with myself about the wisdom of posting pictures of my family on my blog, knowing that I would very likely see more readers if it felt like I were more open about my life and the people in it. I've even had comments from well-meaning and loyal readers who would love to see what my daughter looks like since they hear so much about her. In the end, however, I have always chosen not to post any pictures of my family or myself on my blog (or at least not their faces) and this kind of thing is exactly why. We had friends who had a very upsetting experience with their family blog a year or two ago (really small readership- essentially just written for other family members to read). They started getting really, super creepy comments about their preschool aged daughter from a man. That was pretty much all the confirmation that I needed to feel that indeed, I couldn't trust people out there with images of something as important as my child.
I'm so sorry that your ability to trust that it is safe to post about your beautiful family and creative life has been compromised. Just know how much we all appreciate you and all that you share with us!
Katie, I'm so sorry! I have always felt a little torn about posting photo's of my kids too. She must be sick. I love your blog and I love seeing all the beautiful things you make for your kids. I understand why you would want to stop but if you do I will be sad sad sad.
Katie, I'm really sorry to hear about this - a similar thing is happening to a friend of mine right now. I offer my unconditional (sorry it's only virtual) support. But I also wanted to say thank you so being specific. I am not advocating a witch hunt mentality, but I do think this kind of stuff is growing, and part of that is because people who have been stolen from have tried to take a higher path in being vague. This has allowed thieves to go on thieving. The most effective form of regulating the internet is if we all do it - if we all take part in setting the standards for what is right, if we can all say, we don't like that, don't do it. Being direct and honest about who is doing what allows us all to have our say about the things that ultimately affect us all. So you know, thanks. Glad your imaged have been returned and I hope this going on being the case :-)
I can't believe how creepy some people can be. Your blog is great and you have a beautiful family. I have never been able to understand people who do this making up a fake family and using other peoples info.
sorry you had to go through this. it just sucks.
wow...just really really surreal. can't fathom a reason for doing that at all, even crazy reasons. so sorry! hope you were able to refocus your energy and that the party restored your spirits.