Former Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers Sentenced In Body-Shaming Case

Former Playboy playmate Dani Mathers, 30, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor invasion of privacy for secretly taking a photo of a naked woman and posting it to her Snapchat.

FORMER PLAYMATE DANI MATHERS SENTENCES IN BODY-SHAMING CASE

Mathers was sentenced to three years probation and required to complete 30 hours of graffiti removal service. If she had gone to trial, the model could have faced up to six months of jail time. Mathers took a photo of a naked woman in a gym locker room and captioned it, “If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either.” The woman in the photo was 71-years-old.

The 2015 Playmate of the Year was criticized for the post and faced a lot of backlash, leading her to post another message on the social media platform. “I’ve chosen to do what I do for a living because I love the female body and I know that body-shaming is wrong and it’s not what I am about,” she said. “It’s not the type of person I am.” Apparently the model had tried to send the photo to a friend but sent it to all of her followers as well.

Mather’s attorney in court yesterday said that the model apologized “from the bottom of her heart for what happened. She never thought this would come out like this. Never intended to hurt anyone.”

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said this case is important because it sends a message. “The message today is clear: body shaming is not tolerated in the City of Los Angeles,” he said. “That’s crucial, because every day that picture lives online is another day of humiliation.”

Now California lawmakers are using Mathers’ case as an example, and are trying to pass a bill that would increase punishment for those who take and distribute pictures or videos of others without their permission. Currently the state imposes a fine of $1,000 on those who take and publish images of someone nude or partially clothed. “This country has a growing problem of bullying through body-shaming on social media that needs to be addressed,” says California State Senator Cathleen Galgiani.