On Friday, Playboy model Dani Mathers was charged with the crime of invasion of privacy. The 29-year-old secretly took a photo of a naked 70-year-old woman at a gym in Los Angeles and posted on social media, and the incident has resulted in lawsuit.
Mathers posted the picture with the caption: “If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either.”
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Los Angeles attorney Mike Feuer filed the criminal charges on Friday. Mathers is being charged with one misdemeanor count of invasion of privacy, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Body-shaming is humiliating, with often painful, long-term consequences,” Feuer said in a statement. “It mocks and stigmatizes its victims, tearing down self-respect and perpetuating the harmful idea that our unique physical appearances should be compared to air-brushed notions of ‘perfect.’ What really matters is our character and humanity. While body-shaming, in itself, is not a crime, there are circumstances in which invading one’s privacy to accomplish it can be. And we shouldn’t tolerate that.”
After sharing the photo online, Mathers received heavy backlash. She went on to apologize for the picture by saying, “That was absolutely wrong and not what I meant to do.” Mathers also said, “I know that body-shaming is wrong. That is not the type of person I am.”
In July, the Los Angeles police began conducting an investigation into the matter after receiving a report of “illegal distribution” of the image. Law enforcement officers also mentioned that LA Fitness officials reported the posting to the police as well.
After some searching, detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department tracked down the victim and they said that she was game to have the Playboy model prosecuted.
Mathers mentioned that she initially intended to only send the photo as a private message to her friends on social media, but then she accidentally posted it to her story for the public to see.
If convicted of the misdemeanor crime, Mathers could be facing 6 months in jail. She is scheduled to be arraigned on November 28.
Dani’s attorney, Tom Mesereau said while chatting to TMZ, “I’m disappointed that she was charged with any type of violation.” Mesereau continued by saying, “She never intentionally violated anyone’s privacy and never tried to break the law at any time.”
Do you think Playboy model Dani Mathers should be prosecuted for posting the nude photo of a 70-year-old woman on Snapchat?
[H/T Los Angeles Times, TMZ]
