If you were on the internet over the weekend, then you probably saw thatIggy Azaleawas trending. But It wasn’t because she dropped a new single - or hell, even said anything controversial - but rather because topless photos from a GQ photoshoot in 2016 were leaked. Photos that while Azalea consented to them being taken, were never intended for publication.
Cue Men Of The Internet having a field day when the photos were uploaded. Unaware - or simply not bothered - of the emotional turmoil Azalea must have been going through, men were quick to tweet their sexual fantasies about the 28-year-old rapper - along with endless 'memes' (which were really not funny) about masturbating to the photos.
It go so much that she decided to deactivate her social media accounts. The Australian musician then made a statement, saying she felt ‘blindsided, embarrassed, violated [and] angry.’ by the leak. 'A lot of the comments I see, from men in particular, sharing their thoughts and fantasies in regards to my body has honestly disturbed me,’ she wrote. ’The outright wicked things people say is overwhelming and makes me feel like throwing up. If you've ever been humiliated before in front of family and those you care about, maybe you can relate to what I'm going through.’
She also wrote about how she trusted that these photos wouldn’t be shared, and how she plans to press criminal charges. 'I hadn’t seen other women’s covers leak so I felt comfortable (on a closed set) to model for such a reputable magazine knowing only the images with my hands covering would be considered for print. I never consented to taking topless pictures for potential release, period. It was my understanding BEFORE shooting, GQ do not print topless pictures.'
The photographer, Nino Muñoz, has since said that the snaps were ‘stolen and published without [his] permission’. But still, it doesn’t answer Iggy’s point in her original statement, as she wrote, ‘there was no reason for anyone to have kept the outtakes from the shoot. I'm surprised and angry that they were not immediately deleted after the final images were selected.’ Also, worryingly in Muñoz’s statement, he does not address Azalea directly - even though she is the main victim in this whole sad debacle. ‘I [empathize] with any discomfort that this situation has caused to anyone that is involved,’ he said, which is hard to believe, when he can’t address her publicly. (Needless to say that this will be causing Iggy a far greater amount of stress than him.)
Just because Azalea is a celebrity, that doesn’t mean she is fair game to have her naked pictures shared around - just like no woman you know irl is. It really doesn’t matter if they are posing in a photoshoot, or for their partner on the other side of a smartphone - naked photos, of which you are not supposed to be the recipient, should never be shared. That, and it’s illegal.Hopefully, Iggy will get justice - and whoever has shared the photos will be suitably punished.