The supermodel has penned a heartfelt open letter
Portuguese model Sara Sampaio has taken to Facebook to call out the paparazzi after pictures of her harmlessly lolling about topless while on holidays in the South of France with her boyfriend, Oliver Ripley, suddenly became public fodder.
‘How would you feel if you woke up one morning to find pictures of your 25yr old daughter topless all over the internet? [sic]’ the open letter, which she wrote on her personal Facebook page, begins. ‘Your daughter had done nothing wrong, she was sunbathing, she was not in a public place, she was privately minding her own business.’
Sara walking the Francesco Scognamiglio catwalk at Paris Couture Week, Fall 2016 In the letter, which has over 20k likes, Sara acknowledges that while her career can involve revealing swimwear photoshoots – she has appeared in the Sports Illustrated 'Swimsuit' issue and is a Victoria’s Secret Angel – the significant difference lies in consent, and taking images of her against her will has left her feeling ‘violated’:
‘I had no idea that there was someone far away with a big telescopic lense taking pictures of me. Some of you may say that I'm a public figure and it comes with my job. Others that I'm used to being photographed in swimsuits. There is a difference though. Its my job, yes I get paid for taking pictures, but I give my consent to take them. I have my professional life and I have my private life. We all go to work, some to an office, some to a studio, but when we come home people should respect our privacy. [sic]’
Read the post in full here:
Sara joins other strong female celebrities who’ve chosen to personally fight their own corner, rather than release a statement via their agent. From Jennifer Aniston to Taylor Swift, they’ve penned open letters that pack a punch while setting the record straight.
Sara’s heartfelt letter has certainly achieved that too.