Steph Claire Smith opens up on nude photo leak in high school
The Melbourne businesswoman and influencer has spoken of her harrowing ordeal after explicit photos of her were shared.
Entertainment
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Melbourne businesswoman and influencer Steph Claire Smith has spoken of her harrowing ordeal after her nude photos were leaked.
The 29-year-old opened up to her co-host, Laura Henshaw, about her experience on their KicPod podcast on Monday.
Ms Smith said she sent the explicit pictures to a boy she was seeing 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.
“I remember very clearly walking into school and knowing that it had been shared around the night before and girls wouldn’t talk to me, other than my friends.”
Ms Smith said the boy who sent the photos was “f------ championed” but she was ridiculed.
“He was like a legend, it was so bad,” she said.
“Everyone was looking at me, guys would make comments, and at the same time, I remember people saying to me, ‘Why would you do that? How dumb are you?’
“Of course, I felt ashamed. Of course, I was embarrassed. Of course, I felt like an idiot and deserved the judgment I got from others.
“Getting called a s---, attention seeker or the rude remarks from other guys, asking for some ‘just for them’...”
Ms Smith said blaming and shaming women was not okay.
“I don’t have any regrets or feel bad about it now, if any of those were to resurface, I was underage … I was literally 16,” she said.
“It can be risky, it can be sent around, if it’s on the internet it can stay there … but the shame around sending a photo … is f------ shit.
“Why do we blame women in this situation? Every time! The one-sided shaming is not okay.”
Ms Smith co-founded Kic, a wellness app that focuses on fitness, nutrition and mindfulness.
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