Maria Thattil speaks on nude photo leak at Melbourne high school

The former Miss Universe Australia has opened up on her horrifying experience when an intimate picture of her was leaked.

Maria Thattil has spoken of her ordeal when her nude photo was leaked. Picture: Adam Yip

Former Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil has opened up about her horrifying experience when her topless photo was shared around a Melbourne high school.

The model and influencer spoke about the ordeal on her podcast the Maria Thattil Show on Tuesday.

Ms Thattil said she sent a nude picture to a boy who leaked it around his school.

“I was 14 when a topless photo I sent one boy ended up being circulated around his school and to girls at my school,” she said.

“He circulated it to everyone and I came into school and I remember they were like ‘Everyone knows what you have done, everyone knows that you have said, we have all seen the picture’.”

Maria Thattil with her partner Moana Hope. Picture: Graham Denholm

Ms Thattil said she was slut shamed after the boy lied about her sleeping with him.

“I remember that same person fabricated that I had been involved with him sexually when I hadn’t and I remember coming into school and they all said ‘We’ve heard what you have done’,” she said.

“I remember my friends at the time, the advice that they gave me was like ‘Everyone thinks you’re a slut and you’re just going to have to prove you’re not through your actions’.

“That was the advice that I had as a kid, not ‘Your consent has been violated, it’s okay if you’re doing things with sexually agency, they shouldn’t have been sharing and shaming you for it’, that wasn’t the dialogue when I was growing up.”

Ms Thattil is a model, influencer and media personality. Picture: Sam Tabone

Ms Thattil said she had a similar experience with a Melbourne club promoter when she was 21 years old.

“He had a bit of a thing for me and I bumped into him in Europe,” she said.

“We kissed and he tried to take things further and I didn’t want to.”

The promoter then lied and told people that Ms Thattil had slept with him.

“This is learned behaviour, we condition young boys to think women are things you can use for social capital, you can lie about a woman to make yourself look cooler,” she said.

“That’s how we condition people in patriarchal society to victim blame and slut shame women.”

It comes as Melbourne businesswoman Steph Claire Smith revealed on Monday that her nude photos were also leaked in high school.

“In high school, I sent nude photos of myself to a boy I was seeing,” she said.

“It turns out he wasn’t deserving of my trust, and he sent it to a few friends, and it then found itself around the school.”