Influencer relives moment her intimate images were shared

A fitness influencer has lashed out after a boy she sent intimate images to in high school was a “legend” while she was shamed after pictures shared without consent.

A model-turned-fitness influencer has revealed the devastating fallout of her intimate photographs being shared around her high school.

Steph Claire Smith, who runs fitness and nutrition company Kic and Kicpod with Laura Henshaw, has opened up about the moment her private photographs were shared around her high school without her consent.

The mother-of-one had taken nude images of herself and sent them to a boy she was seeing, who she thought she could trust.

Steph Claire Smith has expressed fury over her leaked photos. Picture: Instagram

“I remember very clearly walking into school and knowing it had been shared around the night before,” Steph said.

“Girls wouldn’t talk to me – other than my friends. Everyone was just looking at me. Guys would just make comments.

“And at the time, I remember people saying to me; ‘Why would you do that? That’s so dumb. How dumb of you’. It was on me.”

Laura expressed frustration at the fact that whenever private images were leaked it was women who were “slut shamed” and made to feel “ashamed, when they shouldn’t” while the men who had leaked it escaped consequences.

Her photos were leaked in high school, and she was made to feel ashamed. Picture: Instagram

“He was a f**king champion. He was a legend,” Steph said.

In an Instagram caption accompanying the clip from their podcast, Steph said she felt “ashamed” when the image was sent around.

“Of course I was embarrassed. Of course I felt like an idiot and felt deserving of the judgment I got from others, getting called a slut, attention seeker, or the rude remarks from other guys, asking for some ‘just for them’,” she said.

But, she pointed out her story wasn’t the only one like this, asking how “familiar” it was to her followers.

Steph runs Kic, a fitness and nutrition company, with Laura Henshaw. Picture: Instagram

”It may not have been you who it happened to, but sadly I’m sure you knew of someone,” she said.

“And how did you judge them for it? Why do we blame the woman in this situation, each and every time. The one-sided shaming is not OK.”

The website of the eSafety Commissioner, which deals which image based abuse, said it impacts many Australians “regardless of their age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, education or bank balance”.

Image based abuse can have a lasting impact, which is why the eSafety Commissioner’s website urgers people to report cases.

“In some cases, we may be able to take action against the person responsible, if this is something you want. There are also criminal laws that cover image-based abuse, so the police may be able to investigate,” the website states.

Originally published as Influencer relives moment her intimate images were shared