Dani Mathers, a Playboy model and Playmate of the year in 2015, sent a Snapchat to all of her followers of a nude woman in the gym shower with the caption “if I can’t unseen this then neither can you.” Her gut wrenching act was followed up by an apology just as shallow as the crime itself.
Her post was met with immediate and intense outrage from her followers. She then followed up with an apology:
“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. That photo was taken to be part of a personal conversation with a girlfriend and because I am new to Snapchat, I really didn't realize that I had posted it and that was a huge mistake. I know that I have upset a lot of people out there but please, please believe me when I say this is not the type of person I am, I've never done this before, I will never do this again, you have my word.”
It’s obvious that she missed the entire point of her followers’ disappointment in her character and their outrage. She didn’t focus on apologizing for her cruelty and wrongdoing, but rather she was trying to convince her followers that they simply weren’t supposed to see it and that this was her only mistake. Her intention was to use the photo in a personal conversation, which she admitted to. She still was perfectly OK with using the image. She’s just regretful now that the entire world has seen it.
For a woman that gets paid to look attractive, it was quite a shocker for her to be so critical and, frankly, so cruel. Who is she to deem another woman’s body as unattractive? She gets paid to concentrate on her appearance and make it what her viewers will find attractive. I’m sure anyone who gets paid to look good would do so. Her career as a model aside, her respect for her gender should have stopped her from doing this. As a woman, especially a woman that is as sexually objectified as a Playboy model would be, should be far more sensitive toward bodyshaming. She is given judgement based solely on her appearance daily. It’s ignorance such as this that takes us a step back.
Being a woman already means that the world is more concerned with your body than your personality or thoughts. Though we live in an age where ideas of feminism are growing, we still have a long way to go. Acts such as these are far from progressive. We fight dress codes as teens, catcalling in the streets and now we apparently have to fear other woman taking taking pictures of us in gym showers and shaming us.
Luckily, Mathers has been met with harsh consequences and backlash from her followers. She has been banned from L.A. Fitness, all of the company’s gyms, is under criminal investigation for the sharing of the nude photo, and has been fired from her position with the “Heidi and Frank” radio show on KLOS 95.5. Her professional life aside, her face has been spread across the internet with rage and disdain. She will not be leading her usual life anytime soon, both professional and personal.
Bodyshaming is ongoing and constant. To have it come from another woman in such a cruel and humiliating way just shows how far we still have to go. But, the backlash Mathers received also highlights how far we have come. For her viewers to recognize the cruelty and retaliate for the sake of victim demonstrates how hard we, as members of a flawed image standard, are working toward fixing this.
