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Dani Mathers Update: Former ‘Playboy’ Model Under Police Investigation For Her Body Shaming Photo

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 11:52 PST, Jul 20, 2016

Dani Mathers posted a naked picture of an unsuspecting woman using the shower at an LA Fitness gym, and now the act of cyberbullying could have the Playboy Playmate of the Year in trouble with the law.

Already facing a storm of controversy for her Snapchat posts mocking the naked woman, Mathers is now under investigation from the LAPD, the Associated Press reported. The report noted that police were investigating a report of “illegal distribution” of the image. The report came directly from the LA Fitness facility where the picture was taken, the report noted.

The Dani Mathers controversy was kicked off last week when the 2015 Playboy Playmate of the Year posted a photo of an unsuspecting woman as she stood naked in the shower. Mathers included a caption mocking the woman’s body.

“If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either,” she wrote.

Mathers then added a shot of herself trying to stifle a laugh as she looked at the woman. The post and the woman’s naked image spread quickly across the internet, with many criticizing Mathers for her act of bullying.

The criticism led Mathers to delete the image and apologize, though that didn’t stem the anger caused by her actions. Mathers ultimately deleted her entire Twitter page, the New York Daily News reported.

“I understand fully the magnitude of this post that I have hurt a lot of people, women. Body shaming is not okay… and not something to joke about,” she wrote.

Dani Mathers claimed that she meant to send the picture only privately to a friend but accidentally posted it to the world. Mathers said she is new to Snapchat and did not understand that her post would be seen by everyone.

Mathers took her apology a step further, filming a statement in which she claimed that her work at Playboy centered around a love of the female body. She also said she would take a step back from the spotlight amid the controversy.

“I need to take some time to myself now to reflect on why I did this horrible thing,” she said.

Dani Mathers has already gotten into plenty of trouble for the Snapchat bullying. Not long after the story broke, she was suspended from her regular spot on the radio show Heidi and Frank on KLOS 95.5 and banned from LA Fitness, TMZ reported.

The popular fitness outlet noted that Mathers’ ban extended to all of its more than 800 locations. A company spokesperson told TMZ that Mathers “is not permitted back at any club, ever.”

“Her behavior is appalling and puts every member at risk of losing their privacy,” Jill Greuling, the company’s executive vice president of operations, told the Associated Press.

The incident has prompted many others to speak out about the dangers of body shaming, including Chris Lane of the Houston Press who wrote about how hypocritical it was for Mathers to attempt to shame another woman.

“As a Playmate of the Year, Mathers benefits from privileges that the average American woman does not. In a society where women are often judged for not meeting certain beauty standards, and where pressure to conform to those standards is intense, Mathers has advantages due to the perception that she’s “beautiful.” For her to humiliate and expose another woman in such a way shows deep problems with Mather’s personal character, and the way she chose to taunt her victim is probably illegal.”

Authorities said they still do not know the identity of the woman in the photo posted by Dani Mathers, but had asked her to come forward to help with the investigation.

[Image via Instagram/Dani Mathers]

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