If you are on the app Snapchat, you have probably seen this scenario before:
One of your friends on the app shares a funny or unflattering picture of a stranger doing something unusual with an intentional funny but obviously derogatory caption. The story is now shared on their story so that all of their friends and anybody who follows them on Snapchat can now see the embarrassing picture. You know that you shouldn’t laugh at the picture but it catches you off guard and you can’t help but smirk at the image. But what happens when a sniped picture goes too far?
When you are at a gym, you see people of all shapes and sizes and abilities, working to better themselves and live a healthier lifestyle. A significant number of gym members use their cell phones to track their fitness records and listen to music while they are working out, and the last place they would ever think of using their phones (you would think) would be in the locker rooms. Unfortunately for Dani Mathers, that was clearly not the case.
A few days ago, the “Playboy Playmate of the Year 2015” attended an LA Fitness in Los Angeles, where she came across a woman undressing in the locker room. Mathers later pulls out her phone showing a selfie of her with her hand over her mouth and the naked woman changing in the locker room in the background. The caption of the photo reading: “If I can’t unsee this, then you can’t either!”
Due to the sudden backlash from her followers, her getting fired from her radio show, and LA Fitness banning her from returning to the gym, Mathers did take to twitter to apologize for her actions, but this is where the situation gets more serious and will take more than an apology for getting caught.
Unfortunately, with today’s technology, anybody can take a picture of you, unsuspectedly, and share it on social media. Even if the photographer takes down the photo, you have absolutely no idea who still has that photo saved on their phone or computer. Since this story has taken to the news, various news websites are sharing the Snapchat post and has surfaced on television news shows. So not only is it floating around on the internet, but the woman showering in the locker room’s backside is now on television.
Until we are comfortable in our own skins will we finally stop shaming one another for our differences. Whether you are a Jane Doe or a Playboy Bunny, if you feel it is necessary to poke fun at another woman’s body on social media for your entertainment, you are part of the problem. We also should remember that we control our cellphones; they do not control us. There is too much hate in the world for use to judge one another for our bodies. Dana Mathers is considered a beautiful woman. The woman in the shower is also considered a beautiful woman. If you are a young woman reading this, you are considered beautiful. If I can’t unsee that, neither can you.
