Some teenage/ young adult drama - how to go about it?

My best friend is having an issue with her boyfriend. They’re both in their early 20’s. It seems that she’s been a punching bag for her boyfriend’s cousins. Let’s call my best friend Alicia, and her boyfriend Lucas. Lucas’s cousins (age ranging from 18–25) have been making rude comments about Alicia’s appearance, pictures, and pretty much just bashing her through facebook on photos or statuses. Alicia has never met Lucas’s cousins, seeing as the cousins actually live overseas, and there is also a language barrier and translation is needed.

Lucas is caught in the middle. Not all of the cousins overseas are being rude, just a couple. He empathizes with his cousins.

Alicia takes all of the comments without any sort of attack in return. She holds up well most of the time, but the comments do make her waver and shaky, and sometimes they get to her and she breaks down.

After an emotional breakdown after a comment on a facebook photo of Alicia that means the picture is “frightful, gross, and disgusting”, Alicia has an emotional breakdown and spouts insecure nonsense to Lucas. But she is upset when Lucas defends his cousins and says that his cousins would never say anything mean to or about Alicia, when it is obvious that they have already been saying negative things about her and being extremely judgmental brats.

Alicia collects herself/ clears her mind and gets over the comments, knowing that they are not personal, and since she still has yet to meet them and could make a good impression, but is ultimately a little upset that Lucas did not empathize with her or try to understand her feelings before defending his cousins.

So, what should Alicia do? What should Lucas do?

Yes, this is a bit of some teenage/ young adult drama.