Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers charged with invasion of privacy
Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers has been charged with invasion of privacy after photographing a women changing at the gym and poking fun at her on social media.
The model and actress thought she was being cute when she posted the snap of an unsuspecting naked 70-year-old woman on Snapchat in July (16) and then added a selfie of her giggling.
She captioned the shot: "If I can't unsee this, you can't
either."
The Internet exploded with outrage and criticism towards the model,
and bosses at the L.A. Fitness gym where the shot was taken
immediately revoked Mathers' membership and reported her to police.
Cops couldn't file charges at the time because the woman in the
photo was unidentified, but the alleged victim has since come
forward and reports suggest she is willing to testify against
Mathers.
The model's attorney, Tom Mesereau, recently told People magazine,
"Dani Mathers never tried to hurt anyone at any time and certainly
never tried to break any law."
Mathers has since apologized for her actions on Snapchat, insisting
she never meant to make the locker room photo public.
"That was absolutely wrong and not what I meant to do," she said in
a video apology. "I know that body shaming is wrong. That is not
the type of person I am."
She also apologized on Twitter, writing: "I'm sorry for what I did.
I need to take some time to myself now to reflect on why I did this
horrible thing."
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed the criminal charges on
Friday (04Nov16), stating: "Body-shaming is humiliating, with often
painful, long-term consequences. 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."
TMZ reports Mathers faces up to six months in jail if she's
convicted.