Dani Mathers: Former Playboy Playmate’s Body-Shaming Snapchat Could End Up In Court
Former Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers’ body-shaming Snapchat could end up in court. She has been charged with a misdemeanor on Friday (Nov. 4) after she allegedly took a nude photo of a 70-year-old woman and shared it on Snapchat.
According to the Los Angeles attorney’s office, they would officially charge Mathers, 29, with one count of invasion of privacy. This case has been headline news because a person has been criminally charged for making a body-shaming post on social media. Professor Jeffrey Vagle, executive director of the Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, spoke exclusively to NBC News about Mathers’ charge.
“When you do hear about lawsuits with respect to photos on social media, it usually is in a civil action. This is a big deal because it is a criminal action.”
Usually, the charge for an invasion of privacy often involves peeping toms and people who plant hidden cameras in public bathrooms and restrooms to take suggestive photos and videos of women without their consent, as noted via Us Weekly. In Mathers’ case, however, the content did not appear sexual but had a mocking tone. City Attorney Mike Feuer announced on Friday that pressing charges against her would hopefully send a message to other online bullies who do the same.
“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.”
Back in July, 2016, Mathers allegedly shared a nude photo of a 70-year-old woman inside a locker room at an LA Fitness gym, along with the caption “If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either. Playboy’s 2015 Playmate of the Year is then seen covering her mouth and laughing at the woman. Mathers received major backlash for her cruel and mocking post, and then followed-up with an apology video on Snapchat. Mathers also argued that her Snapchat photo was not meant for the eyes of her fans, but for a friend.
“I just wanted to acknowledge a photo that I accidentally posted on Snapchat earlier today and let you guys know that that was absolutely wrong, and not what I meant to do. I have chosen to do what I do for a living because I love the female body, and I know that body-shaming is wrong and that’s not what I’m about, that’s not the type of person that I am.”
Despite her public apology, the fitness chain has banned the model from all of its locations, and Mathers’ bosses at KLOS 95.5’s Heidi and Frank radio show fired her. Mathers then made her social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat private following her Snapchat apology, but her Facebook page remains active. Her last post was dated on July 3, before the incident.
Mathers has enlisted the help of Thomas Mesereau, who worked on the Michael Jackson child molestation case back in 20005. He argues that the model did not do anything wrong and that the post was not illegal.
“I am disappointed that Dani Mathers was charged with any violation. She never tried to invade anyone’s privacy and never tried to violate any laws.”
Prosecutors filed the rap against Mathers after the woman told detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department that she wanted to press charges, according to TMZ. The victim could also receive up to $1 million in a lawsuit she filed back in July, according to the Wrap. If Mathers is found guilty, the charge carries up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge scheduled her arraignment for Nov. 28, according to the Daily News.
[Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Playboy]
