Dani Mathers. Photo courtesy of Playboy.
Summary: Playmate Dani Mathers bullied an old woman by taking a photo of her naked and publishing it on Snapchat.
Kanye West said, “The prettiest people do the ugliest things…” and that phrase can definitely apply when it comes to Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers. The popular model’s Snapchat went viral recently, but not for the reason she wanted.
Mathers was at an L.A. Fitness in Universal City, California when she took a photo of an unsuspecting older woman who was near the showers in the locker room. After snapping the non-consented photo, the classically beautiful Mathers, 29, published it on Snapchat with the caption, “If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either.” The mean-spirited picture was accompanied by one of Mathers feigning shock or disgust by covering her mouth.
TMZ reported the picture, which has drawn ire from outraged strangers online. Some called the model “ugly” on the inside for cruelly body-shaming an overweight stranger, while others have called for her arrest or at least for a lawsuit to be filed against her. In a locker room, there is an expectation of privacy, and Mathers broke that agreement. Plus, gyms do not allow their members to photograph others in private areas, and once L.A. Fitness became aware of Mathers’ Snapchat, they took action. According to TMZ, the gym contacted the police and filed a report.
A spokesman for L.A. Fitness said, “Her behavior is appalling and puts every member’s privacy at risk. We have handled this internally and also notified the police.”
Mathers, the 2015 Playmate of the Year, has a large social media presence. According to The Daily Mail, she has 553,000 Instagram followers, over on million Facebook subscribers, and 75,100 Twitters followers. After the immediate backlash, she apologized for posting the Snapchat story, but her weak apology spurned more outrage.
In a video posted on Facebook, she said, “It was absolutely wrong and not what I meant to do…I love the female body and I know body shaming is wrong, that’s not what I’m about and this is not the type of person I am.”
Mathers added that she was “new to Snapchat” and had meant to send this image to a friend only, not publicly. She pled for forgiveness, but the public wasn’t having it. Her apology video has since been deleted but is available on different media outlets.
The New York Daily News reported that Mathers has since been dropped from her job as a radio host and has been banned from L.A. Fitness. It is still pending whether or not the victim in the locker room will file a lawsuit or if Mathers will face any criminal charges.
What do you think about Mathers’ actions? Let us know in the comments below.