MP silences critics after stripping image leak

A Victorian MP was left powerless after an image of her working as a stripper was shared on social media – now she’s owning her past so she can fight for a better future.

Georgie Purcell was devastated when a photo of her stripping was circulated on social media but now says her past is her greatest strength. Picture: Mark Stewart

The ping of a phone notification still has the power to send Georgie Purcell into a spiral.

She vividly recalls the moment her phone lit up from a notification – she had been tagged in a photo that was posted to a Facebook group.

It was 10 years ago, a bright and sunny day, and she was sitting inside the hairdresser.

Immediately, her world stopped.

“I lost control, and I lost my power. My consent was completely taken away from me,” she remembers.

At just 19 and in her second year of university where she was studying law, Purcell had started stripping to help support herself and survive the costs of living out of home. This was a big secret – until suddenly it wasn’t.

Only her best friend – who also joined her on jobs – knew about the secret pact.

That was until an image of Purcell at work – taken by an unknown person without her knowledge or consent – was shared all over social media by her university peers.

Ms Purcell runs a micro-sanctuary for rescued farm animals in Macedon. Picture: Rob Leeson

It didn’t take long for her to be confronted with dozens of comments – some left by classmates – to the effect that she was “disgusting” and “should be ashamed” of her actions.

The following weeks, she recalls, were a “complete blur”.

She quit on-campus learning and opted to study remotely, and only ever returned to university for exams.

She was cut off from her social circle, which led to social isolation and dark, suicidal thoughts.

“Basically no one checked in on me. I was so alone,” she says.

“As soon as it happened, I just had this ongoing feeling that my life was not worth living anymore.

“I feel like a significant period of my life was stolen from me because I just couldn’t function. I had this cloud constantly hanging over my head every single day because of some people’s fleeting decision in one minute, and they have no idea just how that impacted my life.

“I was studying law, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking I’d never become a lawyer because I was convinced that I wouldn’t be seen as a fit and proper person. These people made me believe that I was a bad person and there was something wrong with me.”

Covered head to toe in tattoos, Purcell has always been determined to stand out, so that she can stand up for what she believes in.

She says she stopped caring a long time ago about having ink that is visible in the workplace.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in Purcell’s case, her tattoos tell her life story.

Ms Purcell wants to shake up state parliament, with her girl gang, senior policy advisor Dannielle Chandler and chief of staff Aimee Weir, behind her. Picture: Mark Stewart

Some tell the story of success. A wombat signifies her work in rallying to outlaw recreational wombat shooting.

Others depict her future hopes, including a duck to manifest a ban on duck shooting. On the back of her right thigh is a boxing woman with the words “stand your ground”, an ode to feminism and a constant reminder to “stand up for myself”.

She also has a tattoo of bread and roses to signify a commitment to unionism, and more recently got an axe and hammer with the words “ready for it” to mark the beginning of her political career.

Perhaps most significant is a stripper on a pole, accompanied by the words “real work”.

And while Purcell has never felt the need to conceal these tattoos, it was a different story when it came to hiding her stripping secret.

Purcell worked in a range of jobs, including roles in the courts and work as a union official, after the leaked photo affair.

Now diagnosed with PTSD, she had worried every day the image would follow her and be revealed when she least expected it.

“I thought if my employers had seen the photos, they wouldn’t want me to work for them, or that they wouldn’t take me seriously,” she says.

Working in politics was potentially the scariest part, but it was during her time as chief of staff to former Animal Justice Party MP, Andy Meddick, that she decided to not just confront her biggest insecurity – but own it.

“Politics can be so vicious and brutal, and even if you’re not the MP, people will try and find things about you,” she says.

“I felt like I needed to put this out there for myself before someone does it for me. I knew that I could tell my own story, or someone could try and use it against me.”

Sex work trailblazer and former Reason Party MP Fiona Patten reassured Purcell, over a drink at parliament, that a moment would come when she would feel compelled – and ready – to share her story publicly.

“I knew that it was going to be therapeutic and transformative for me to own my story,” she says.

Ms Purcell is trying to bust the stereotype of how a typical political office looks. Picture: Mark Stewart

“It was like it almost cured me when I went public. I’ve gone from thinking my past is one of my absolute weaknesses going into politics, now I know it’s one of my biggest strengths.

“Sex work is legitimate work and there’s no shame in it.

“We must drive home the message that it is the leaking or sharing of past consensual sexual decisions or history that is shameful – not the decision for a woman to partake in them. It’s time we let women control their own narratives.”

This life experience, she says, has allowed her to cement herself as the official face of the next generation of politics.

A rebel – with a cause – Purcell threatens to shake up state parliament, with her girl gang right behind her.

“My office is a team of young, smart and incredible women,” she says.

“People look at us together and probably don’t realise how much of a serious, productive and capable political outfit we are.

“We’re covered in tattoos and probably step outside the usual dress code that you see in politics. We’re really trying to bust the stereotype of how a typical political office looks.

“We want to be relatable, make politics cool and accessible, and show that our parliaments are a place for everyone.”

At just 30, Purcell is the youngest woman in the whole parliament, and the second youngest to ever be elected to the Legislative Council.

After her former boss was unsuccessful in his re-election bid, Purcell is flying the flag solo for the Animal Justice Party, where she says it’s her purpose to make life better for all animals in Victoria.

A passionate vegan who runs a micro-sanctuary for rescued farmed animals in the Macedon Ranges, Purcell is a country girl at heart who understands the issues of regional Victorians.

She plans to use her own experience having an abortion to ensure Victorian women, particularly those in regional areas, can get the treatment when – and where – they need it.

This plan would include boosting access to reproductive public healthcare by introducing nurse-led care on abortion to boost the number of people able to get treatment.

“I was pregnant, and I didn’t want to be so I made that decision, but I was really scared.”

Purcell wants contraception to become free and believes education campaigns teaching young people about how to recognise abusive and controlling relationships should be offered in schools.

As one of the most progressive members on the new look crossbench, Purcell will become one of the crucial votes that the Andrews government will rely on to pass legislation.

She is joined by four Greens MPs and two politicians from the Legalise Cannabis brand – the first time the minor party has been elected to the Victorian Parliament.

While Labor secured an overwhelming majority in the lower house – seats needed to form government – it only has 15 of the 40 seats in the upper house, meaning it will need six votes to pass key legislation over the next four years.

Purcell says she will work proactively with the Andrews government on all issues but insists she will demand the same from them when it comes to improving – and bringing attention to – animal welfare issues.

Among the items at the top of her to-do list – banning duck shooting, launching an inquiry into the greyhound racing industry and ending jumps racing.

Purcell’s compassion for animals began early. She ditched meat when she was just four years old after seeing pigs on a truck being transported to slaughter.

Ms Purcell’s biggest goal is to inspire other young women by rewriting the narrative around politics. Picture: Mark Stewart

Growing up in the small rural town of Inverleigh, near Geelong, being vegetarian was far from the norm.

“My views certainly weren’t understood and at times not welcomed when I was growing up,” she says.

“I was determined, even as a young kid, to help people, including the local farmers, understand the importance of kindness to animals.”

Arguably, though, her biggest goal is to inspire other young women by rewriting the narrative around politics.

“Women have to work doubly hard to be taken seriously to get here in the first place,” she says.

“No one asks the male MPs what they’ve done or why they deserve to be here. It’s something I constantly get and I’m sick of it. I’m just not going to tolerate it.

“I still think there are people in here who don’t think I should be in parliament. To be honest, now I don’t give a f--k. I don’t care. They’re not the people that I’m trying to prove something to.

“I hope by doing this, and my bit to push the boundaries, that come the next election there will be other young people with colourful backgrounds.

“Even though I look different, I know that I’m smart, I’m capable, and I’m probably more experienced and more educated than half of the blokes in here.

“I might look different to parliament, but I definitely don’t look different to society.

“And if I don’t achieve anything else in this job, I hope that women see me and believe in themselves that they too can do anything.”