Iggy Azalea,, the buxom Australian rapper, is fuming at a photographer who failed to destroy outtakes from a photo shoot that leaked online, showing her in various states of undress, including topless.
Iggy compared the leak to “a nuclear bomb” that “destroys you emotionally, but leaves a path of destruction in your personal life”
She said she “fully intends” to press criminal charges should she find out where the leak came from. She might want to start with the photographer.
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The photos allegedly leaked online over the weekend, prompting the lensman Nino Munoz to express his own “outrage” over the incident.
Munoz claimed the photos were stolen and leaked online without his knowledge or consent. Iggy had it worse. She said she was “embarrassed and violated.”
While online accounts have been hacked in the past leading to leaks of private photos online, such incidents are also part of a sleazy game some photographers play to gain publicity for themselves.
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They allegedly “self-leak” the photos online, knowing that low-flying celebrity Web sites will pick them up. Then, they make bogus copyright claims to try to score quick settlements.
The practice has become known as “copyright trolling,” aided by equally low-flying law firms.
Azalea clearly suggested Munoz secretly retained topless images in a gross violation of her trust.
The 28-year-old rapper and MC posed for the Australian edition of GQ magazine in 2016. The photos published were more discreet. They did not involve actual nudity. Azalea “strategically” placed her hands to avoid exposing her private parts.
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Other photos taken during the shoot were topless but never used.
Azalea said she was assured the topless photos would be “swiftly disposed” after the session.
“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,” she said in a statement.
Azalea said she was forced to delete her social media accounts after the leak because of the vile and vicious comments that provoked, including lurid male “fantasies.”
“I am a ball of negative emotions. I feel blindsided, embarrassed, violated, angry and sad. Not only because I did not consent to this – but also because of the vile way people reacted,” she wrote on Twitter.
“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. 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 added.
Munoz apologized to the rapper on Instagram and said he was equally “outraged and saddened to find out that images of mine were stolen and published without my permission.’
Azalea said she had no problem initially doing the photo shoot because GQ has a reputation for using artful and tasteful photos that stop short of full-on nudity.
“A lot of high profile women have shot covers for GQ with a strategically placed hand etc covering their breasts etc. I always felt they were very beautiful covers, so I jumped at the opportunity.
“[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.”
Azalea’s body image has been the subject of much speculation over the years. Critics say she’s had both butt implants and breast enhancement surgery. The “Fancy” singer has admitted to having her breasts enlarged.