Dani Matthews and the Ethics of Body Shaming

You may not know the name Dani Matthews, and that’s OK, I didn’t either. However, Matthews, former Playboy Playmate and main squeeze of Hugh Hefner, has come under fire for some stupid choices she made “body shaming” or “fat shaming” a naked woman in the gym. Matthews posted her (the naked lady) photo on Snapchat with a caption, ‘If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either!’ Matthews actions raises the issue of the ethics of body shaming.

I can think of no reason on earth a woman of her beauty, fame, and fortune would need to shame a stranger for having less than a perfect body, but I suppose that could also be a part of the problem. The ethics of body shaming is like any ethical issue, do the choices made on the spur of the moment reflect a lack of ethical character.

With fame and celebrity, a person can sometimes become very self-centered and demeaning to those who must get up most mornings, trudge to work, pay bills and maybe – just maybe – have the opportunity to find a little time to get on a treadmill or exercise bike. The woman Ms. Matthews shamed online probably does not have a cadre of trainers, nutritionists, masseuses, Yoga and Pilates instructors or on-site chefs for that matter. Ms. Matthews is, in a very real way, cut-off from a whole realm of reality.

However, the bigger problem, the one that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans share with Ms. Matthews is not understanding the power of social media and what can happen when the legal system catches up to bad choices. The ethics of body shaming may move past unethical to illegal.

The Ethics of Body Shaming leads to a Series of mistakes

The first in a series of mistakes in this incident is the result of Matthews’s social media notoriety. She is spread across several platforms with many thousands of friends and followers (who really aren’t, but that’s for another day). When she shamed the stranger, there were undoubtedly many in her closest circle who agreed with her, BUT there was also a huge avalanche of backlash that went viral. The backlash was not appreciated by, you know, us ordinary people.

The media picked it up and now the police are asking the woman who was publicly shamed to step forward. Why? She may have the makings of a lawsuit. For her part, Matthews has issued a “heartfelt” on-line apology saying in part, “This isn’t who I am.” Well then, who might it be?

Her second mistake was in not realizing that every choice has a consequence. If you are going to go out of your way to publicly humiliate someone, be prepared for whatever consequences it may yield.  The ethics of body shaming, like any ethical misstep can bring about some consequences that are unintended.

Her third mistake, perhaps the most significant, is what this will do to her “brand.” Even if she is not sued (she has already hired a powerful attorney), even if the woman she shamed never steps forward, her brand’s value in terms of likability, celebrity spokesperson fees, modeling and acting potential has suffered. She knows it, too. It boils down to reputation, and her reputation has taken a giant hit.

There are numerous examples of people in virtually every walk of life who have used incredibly poor judgment in posting to social media. These folks range from athletes to politicians. When caught in the trap of their own words or images or videos, it almost always leads to a loss of reputation.

It can lead to us

The most frequent and flagrant violations of reputation and reputation management do not involve Playmates and professional athletes at all, but people like you and me. Thousands of highly unethical social media abuses happen literally every day in the form of emails, texts, videos, posts and tweets. It is generally between employees, or employees and vendors talking about other employees and supervisors.

What usually “kills it” is a form of social media arrogance, in believing (sometimes with absolute certainty) that no one else in the organization has access or social media sophistication. Mistakes happen; leaks occur; ethical errors in judgment abound. The result is that while the employee or supervisor or even outside contractor might be “shamed,” it usually comes back around to the parties who have made the choice to post the material in any manner.

Reputation is a valuable asset and can leave as quickly as it arrives. At the end of the day, bad ethical choices (such as body shaming) can turn right around on the most beautiful of people. The ethics of body shaming is not often discussed. It takes a celebrity to bring the issue to the media, but the practice is real and happens daily.

Save