Playboy model Dani Mathers sentenced to probation for 3 years in 'body-shaming' photo case

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11/ CNS) - A Playboy model who took a photo of a nude 70-year-old woman in the shower of a Playa Vista gym locker room and posted it on social media with a derogatory comment pleaded no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor and was placed on three years probation.

Mathers could have faced 6 months in jail.

In exchange for her plea to the invasion-of-privacy charge, Dani Mathers -- the 2015 Playboy Playmate of the Year -- was also ordered to perform 30 days of community labor, likely doing graffiti-removal work, according to the City Attorney's Office.

There was mixed feelings from gym goers if that was enough
 
"It's a step forward but it's not where it should be," said Arturo Medina

This is the first case of its kind prosecuted by L.A.'s City Attorney and one of the first cases in the nation.

Mathers, 30, sparked a firestorm of criticism when she posted the photo on her Snapchat account in July 2016. The picture showed the naked woman from behind, with Mathers' head turned away from the camera, with the message, "If I can't unsee this then you can't either."

Shortly after the photo was posted, Mathers apologized, writing on her Twitter account, "I'm sorry for what I did. I need to take some time to myself now to reflect on why I did this horrible thing."

In another post, she wrote, "This was a huge mistake and I'm so sorry. I understand that this was wrong and I will do everything in my power to show you." In another, she indicated that she did not mean to post the photo publicly, only send it to a friend.

"This was a very important case to me -- as a father, as a son, as someone who recognizes the damage that body-shaming can do," City Attorney Mike Feuer said. "The issues that surround body shaming can be devastating -- not only to daughters and mothers, but also to sons and fathers, LGBT people, to a trans kid who might be struggling with identity, to people who are disabled. But the message today is clear: Body-shaming is not tolerated in the city of Los Angeles."

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