this is "nightline." >> tonight, it is an all too common online dating disaster. when unrequited attraction on dating websites goes horribly wrong. >> i decided to publicly shame them. >> reporter: tonight, the women striking back against harassment with a new weapon of their own. plus, kitty craze. men, women and children turning out for the first hello kitty convention. by the tens of thousands. how did this little cartoon character become a full-fledged empire? and, digital heartthrob. how alex from target went viral. was it all just a marketing stunt? but first, the "nightline" five. >> take zzzquil and sleep like the kids went to nana's house

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how women are getting creative and fighting back. here's abc's brandi hitt. >> reporter: the message starts out polite. hello, i'm stan. nice to meet you. he sounds like any other guy. reaching out to a girl on a popular dating site. but after no response, just 21 minutes later, we see a different side. stuck up exmre tef. i would beat the living expletive out of you. it's a new phenomenon on dating websites where tweet nothings seem to quick little veer towards rage. male cluelessness in the dating world is nothing new. for many women, this scene from "crazy stupid love" is all too familiar. >> you are never going to regret going home with the guy from the bar who was a total tom cat in the sack. okay. can i buy you a drink? >> you know what, it's time to go home. >> reporter: men who can't take a hint, no matter what you say. like this guy in the movie

"hitch." >> i couldn't help but notice you look a lot like my next girlfriend. >> i'm just not interested. but thank you for the compliment of coming over. >> you're welcome. so, do you like cuban food? >> seriously that was not code for i wish you try harder. >> reporter: but move this exchange online and you'll see some really bad behavior. single men who send offensive messages to women who dismiss their advances on online dating sights. alexand sanexandra experienced firsthand when she rejected a man on ok kucupid. >> i didn't want to chat with him and he came back and wrote in all caps, why the f not? >> reporter: another one attacked her fuzz callphysical appearance. >> they come after women's looks. if we reject them or, if they're ignored, the number one thing i see is, you're fat. >> reporter: tired of the put downs, she's fighting back.

>> i decided to publicly shame them and i wanted the world to see, like, this is what our inboxes look like sometimes. >> reporter: she startled posting the exchanges on instagram and named the account buy felipe. and with an estimated 40 million americans using online dating services, there have been plenty of bad apples. the instagram page was instantly popular. in just three weeks, the site has gained nearly 200,000 followers, with women chiming in on their own bad experiences. no reply, no answer, expletive, jump off a bridge. lol. i've come to a conclusion that you're a class-a expletive. no worries, you're not my type either. i don't like fat girls. emily, who wouldn't say her last name, also shared her experience on bye felipe. >> one man started with a very kind message about what, i want

to take you out for dinner, and i didn't respond to it. i didn't go on that day. and then his final response was, in a very derogatory way, how ugly i was as a person. >> reporter: emily believes bye felipe will shame men into behaving better. >> that page is amazing. definitely outs the bad men and i think that actually could change behavior. >> when i started it, i never, ever thought it would get this big. just thought it was funny. kind of making fun of it and saying, whatever, no one cares what you have to say. >> reporter: it's a message that resonates with holly. >> it's a relief to know you're not the only woman experiencing this. and it's a relief to know that your version of reality is being confirmed. >> reporter: a few years ago, holly moved to boston to attend harvard. she turned to online dating. >> my experience with the site varied from mediocre to, like,

really bad. i remember getting, you know, would you like to see pictures of my [ bleep ] and all those things that are just really vile and crude. >> reporter: and the messages got even uglier when holly, a frequent ok cupid user, was asked to become a volunteer moderator. she was given an all-access pass to the worst of the worst. >> you ever watch a guy [ bleep ] before. oh, my god, omg, only a-cup. so, why don't we just scout out the middleman and start having hot sex that will pleasure the both of us? flagged. >> reporter: she reports the offending messages to ok cupid staffers who then decide if the user should be banned. ok cupid says it takes harassment seriously. on its website, it asks users to please let us know by reporting the offending member. >> it's really common for people to say, that's just boys being boys and you just have to put up with it. no. i really don't want to be putting up with that. i have -- i have human dignity.

>> reporter: so, how would women deal with these nasty messages? laurel house recommends deleting them right away and never responding. >> don't respond. you are fueling their fire and honestly, it will get worse. ignore it. >> reporter: and just remember, there are still nice guys out there. >> finding the good ones on there are few and far between, but it's possible. i recently had a friend get engaged to a guy that she met on tindr. it can happen. it has. maybe it will happen for me. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm brandi hitt in los angeles. coming up here on "nightline," answers to two burning questions. why would anyone who is not a tween girl go to a hello kitty convention? and, is the kitty really a cat after all? put your hands together

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so, for those of us who think of hello kitty as a lunchbox sticker, this next story may come as a bit of a surprise. they recently held the first hello kitty convention and rather than attracting 100 8-year-old girls, tens of thousands of people showed up. many of them actual grownups what's going on here? abc's abbie boudreau explains. >> reporter: some of these people happily waited all day in this long line. waiting for something that will last a lifetime. her childhood obsession over hello kitty is still so much apart of her, she's making it permanent. this is permanent. >> i know. i'm totally okay with that. i was ready for it.

>> reporter: i'm kind of freaking out. you are actually getting this done right now. >> yeah. >> jimmy: are you er >> reporter: are you nervous? >> no. >> reporter: and she's not alone. ♪ teenage dream >> reporter: i may have been katy perry's teenage dream to have a hello kitty tat. and she was happy to show it off here at the very first hello kitty convention, celebrating this iconic character. >> welcome to hello kitty con! >> reporter: nothing short of 25,000 fans. flocking to this museum in downtown los angeles to celebrate her 40th birthday. happy birthday! she may just be the embodiment of cute. but behind those sweet eyes is a very big business. the samrio company that lie senses hello kitty reportedly earned $8 billion in 2013. there are 50,000 hello kitty products in more than 70 countries. >> really, you could live your

life with hello kitty products from morning to night. you could wake up in your bed with your hello kitty alarm clock, make coffee with your hello kitty coffee maker and toaster. go to work in your hello kitty car. >> reporter: but why are so many people drawn to a character that doesn't even have a mouth. why do you think she's remained relevant for so long, for 40 years? >> i think it starts with, really, good design. strong aesthetics and samrio has done that. >> reporter: she's never said anything. >> you know, i think the answer to that would be she doesn't have to. people can fill in for their own purposes what they would like her to express. >> reporter: what do you love about her now? >> oh, my god. she's iconic to us. i mean, she's evolved with women and children. so, i mean, she loves her, i love her. i can tell -- i can still be a kid at heart at my age. >> reporter: what do you think? >> i love it. >> reporter: you're not a fan at

all? >> no, we're not fans. totally not fans. >> reporter: okay. now i feel like i fit in. and if you these these fans seem a bit excitable, imagine when they recently learned their favorite kitty is not a cat. but instead, a little girl. devastating news to some of her more sensitive fans. >> we were actually surprised that it rocked the world so much and i think it kind of got bigger than we expected. she's always been that little girl. we -- okay, she's hello kitty. if you want to think of her as a cat, that's great. some people describe her as a little girl that looks like a cat. some people describe her as a cat that looks like a little girl. it all works for us. >> reporter: from little girls to grandmas and pretty much everything in between, even some guys seem to embrace all things kitty. well, kind of. why are you here? >> because my wife loves hello

kitty. >> reporter: my wife dragged me. today, there are thousands of products. but back in 1975, it all started with a simple coin purse. >> the original coin purse from 1975 introduced in japan. we have it on loan from our tokyo office where it is kept in a vault. it sold for 220 yen, which was a little under a dollar at the time. >> reporter: okay. and now? >> and now i can't even fathom what it's worth. >> reporter: millions and millions? >> probably millions and millions. >> reporter: this may be the hope diamond for kitty fans. but the event has countless other vintage treasures. i had something just like this. >> this is what i mean. this is what i mean. people will say, i remember that. >> reporter: it was magnetic opening. i remember that. i have goose bumps just thinking about it. >> reporter: and while fan favorites were front and center, there were new surprises around every corner. candy from dylan's candy bar,

pajamas, makeup from sephora and tons of products from target. there's even high fashion. hello kitty couture. >> we have soft looks, latex pieces, it just shows how versatile she is. she's just part of fashion. >> reporter: and there's something here for everyone. learn to make hello kitty cupcakes with duff goldman. though, did you know her favorite food is apple pie? you can even master the art of hello kitty flower designs and jewelry. but we thought this seminar would really whet your appetite. spam, anyone? >> ready for the flower? >> reporter: when do you think about this workshop? this is hilarious. i love this. >> it's favorite food and favorite character. >> reporter: when do you get to eat it? >> ah -- we were thinking of never eating it. >> reporter: you're not going to eat it? >> we're going to preserve it. >> reporter: samrio says it has big plans for the next 40 years.

>> i'm pretty confident she will continue to evolve. so, i think we very carefully want to continue to evolve her with new designs, new experiences, new products and new ways to connect with the fans. so, she definitely will evolve while at the same time, we want her to stay true to that kind of classic hello kittiness. >> reporter: this artist, often referred to as momma, has been designing hello kitty for 30 years. >> translator: i think everybody, men and women, of all ages will wear hello kitty and use hello kitty products. >> reporter: with world domination in the sights of hello kitty, it's hard not to get swept up. >> it's so great! really excited about it. >> reporter: turns out she's thrilled with her new tattoo. >> i've never been so excited to get a tattoo before. >> it's like a journal entry. you always remember exactly where you were at, at that point

in time in your life. so, people showing their obsession and their love for a character, i don't have a problem with it. >> reporter: and neither do i. so, i gave it a try, too. okay, so, mine isn't permanent. but it does put me in that hello kitty state of mind. looks good. >> looks good, right? >> reporter: i love it. for "nightline," abbie boudreau, abc news, los angeles. next on "nightline," first he was caught getting checked out on the checkout line. then he became an overnight online sensation. and then we learned, it may all just be some sort of experiment.

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the internet has produced many big stars, from grumpy cat to justin bieber. but this next guy's rise was particularly fast and feverish, especially among young women. and now, the question, could it all have been just an experiment? >> look at that target guy! >> reporter: he is target most famous employee outside of "snl." alex from target becoming an internet sensation after this seemingly candid shot of the teenager being checked out at the checkout went viral. but was it all the product of a social media experiment? the ceo of entertainment startup breakers, says his company is responsible. >> we were able to get our breaker fans to start retweeting alex from target. >> reporter: he says his goal was just to show how easy it is to go from civilian to celebrity overnight. especially if you target teenage

girls. just days ago, alex only had 144 twitter followers. now more than 600,000 and counting. target denies any involvementbr. alex fweeted, my family and i have never heard of this company. alex appeared on "ellen" today. >> do you have any other talent? >> i mean, i can apparently bag groceries pretty well. >> you're on your way. >> reporter: and benefit from "ellen' "ellen's wisdom. >> eggs on top. never on the bottom. you know that. >> yeah. >> a meme is born. finally tonight, we have a technology story of an entirely different flavor. this is about an extraordinary new tool helping some extraordinary people learn how to walk again. here's abc's byron pitts. >> reporter: tonight, the famous, the powerful, stood in awe of the unmistakably courageous. all here for the eighth annual bob woodruff foundation stand up

for heroes. stars like bruce springsteen. ♪ a night to honor the men and women who answered america's call. in this room of giants, none taller than marine corps captain derek herrera. a sniper's bullet in afghanistan in 2012 nearly took his life, not his grit. >> i knew immediately i was paralyzed from the chest down. i didn't really know what the extent of that injury would be, permanent or not. >> reporter: he attacked rehab the way you'd expect a marine special ops officer would. today, we saw the amazing result as new technology allows captain herrera to walk again. just when you stood up, i felt joy for you. >> yeah. i mean, it's different, right? it's different being able to look you in the eye and talk and stuff. so, it's good. >> reporter: it's the exo skeleton system, made by rewalk.

a wearable robotic system that powers hip and knee motion. >> this is what i use to select the different functions. small gray sensor right here. and so it senses when i lean forward and shift my weight from one foot to the other. >> reporter: derek is the first american and the first active duty service member to own one. a nearly $70,000 investment, fda approved, but not yet covered by insurance. for now, derek spends most of his time in his wheelchair, but some day, he hopes to leave it behind. tonight, captain herrera shared the spotlight with those who share his sacrifice. >> thank you guys so much. >> reporter: he will retire from the marines later this month, accepting a civilian job. ceo of an american energy drink company. for "nightline," i'm byron pitts in new york. >> what a fantastic story. our thanks to byron pitts. and to my friends bob and lee woodruff for the ne nominal work

they do for america's wounded warriors. thank you for watching "nightline" tonight. don't forget "good morning america" first thing in the morning and we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com. good night. >> julian: danny's in dreamland. he's got his penguin, a smile on his face, and no clue that he could be sick again. >> alexis: i wonder whatened to. >> sam: he left with danny's bloodwork and never came back.

>> nina: okay, let's go. let's blow this joint. >> ava: madeline! don't do this. i'm begging you, one mother to another, don't let nina take my baby. >> nina: don't address my mother like she's someone who will listen to you. she's not gonna do you any favors. you don't even know her. >> ava: but i do know her, and she knows me. isn't that right, madeline? >> morgan: i don't think ava shot max. hey, listen to me. not that she isn't capable, but she's never gonna go near your house. i mean, she hasn't even left the brownstone since she showed up a few weeks ago. she's protective of the baby. >> sonny: if ava didn't shoot max, who did? >> kiki: michael! michael!