The woman whose photo was used to launch the Affordable Care Act and was subsequently taken down in the "face" of mocking and derision
spoke out on ABC about the cyberbullying treatment she received. As the "face" of the glitchy rollout, she was the target of much online derision and bullying.
The smiling woman who was once the face of the Affordable Care Act's website has come out of the shadows to stand up to the "cyberbullying" she says she suffered after the law's flawed kickoff.
Speaking exclusively to ABC News, Adriana, who asked that only her first name be used, said she was speaking out now to defend herself after weeks of enduring online lampooning.
"They have nothing else to do but hide behind the computer. They're cyberbullying," Adriana told ABC News' Amy Robach.
"I'm here to stand up for myself and defend myself and let people know the truth," she said.
Dubbed the "enigmatic Mona Lisa of health care," her face was soon mocked, Photoshoped, altered. She became the subject of late-night jokes, partisan hatred and intense speculation.
Adriana was never paid for the stock photos that were used on the website. Of course, given that her features closely represent America's changing demographics, her legal status was questioned.
"I mean, I don't know why people should hate me because it's just a photo. I didn't design the website. I didn't make it fail, so I don't think they should have any reasons to hate me," Adriana told ABC News.
Speculation swirled that Adriana might not be a legal resident of the United States, and therefore not even eligible for the health care exchanges. Adriana said she is a wife and mother who lives in Maryland with her 21-month-old son and husband of six and a half years. Her husband is a U.S. citizen, as is his her son. Adriana, who is Colombian, said she has lived legally in the U.S. for more than six years, is currently a permanent resident and is applying for citizenship.
She said that while she knew her photo would be used on the healthcare.gov website, she was stunned at the negative reception.
"Like I said it was shocking. It was upsetting. It was sad. We were having a hard day when we read all this," she said. "And in a way, I'm glad that my son is not old enough to understand, because you know whatever happens to you, it hurts them too."
About two weeks ago, her photo was removed from the site and replaced by several icons. "That was a relief," she said.
"They took the picture down. I wanted the picture down, and they wanted the picture down. I don't think anybody wanted to focus on the picture."
"They didn't ruin my life. I still have a job, I'm still married," Adriana said. "That didn't really crush me to the ground. I'm fine. Now I laugh about it."
So petty people have to unleash their partisan hate for something that will ultimately help millions of other people by directing it at an innocent bystander, as it were. How Republican of them.