Image-based abuse comes under many guises, each as terrifying as the last. Women around the world experience relentless threats over who gets to view, share, and profit from their images.
Esther, then a lingerie model, experienced this first-hand when a friend messaged her to ask if she'd joined OnlyFans. She had not. She soon discovered that her images, taken from a professional shoot, had been edited (or ‘nudified’), and posted on the adult content platform – without her consent.
Nudfication is the process of digitally removing clothing from a non-intimate image, making the person depicted appear nude.
Now a software engineer, Esther was working as a lingerie model when the photos were taken, but she had little control over how the images were used. While the photographer paid her for her time, she had no idea how he intended to use the images of her. She shares her story with GLAMOUR…
It's been a while since it all happened. But now, I want to tell my story.
About nine years ago, I was working as a lingerie model while completing my studies at university. I was booked for a tour around Europe: I did a couple of shoots in London, then France, Spain, and finally Portugal. Balancing life as a student with my modelling wasn't easy, but I made the time to study in the evenings or when travelling to shoots.
I had two days in Portugal; the first was a day of relaxation, a day just for me, which I spent relaxing at the beach. Before any shoot, you sign a form which outlines where the pictures will be used – and who will have access to them.
After I signed this form, I did a semi-nude, classic shoot (with my intimate parts covered) at a villa, which we chose for its beautiful high ceilings and vintage interior design.
When I left the shoot, it was strange. I asked the photographer how long it would take to edit the photos. I said I'd like to include them in my portfolio. At that time, I was only paid by the photographer for my time – I didn't financially benefit from the photos themselves. He never got in touch with me.
For the next two weeks, I kept trying to contact him. And he kept ignoring me. I checked a site connecting freelance models with photographers and saw that he had been online. He had posted and edited photos online, but he hadn't got back to me.
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A month later, I saw that he had posted some of the photos on his Instagram account. I didn't like them. You could see dark shades on my shoulder and a bit of belly roll.
Seeing my body on his Instagram account was awful; there were no edits and the light shade on my face was off. I felt ashamed and belittled – it felt like my face was on another person's body. It was outrageous.
Shortly after, a friend asked, ‘Oh Esther, did you get OnlyFans?’ I knew instantly that something was wrong. It suddenly made sense why the photographer was ignoring me – he'd uploaded my images to OnlyFans without asking. I was horrified but, weirdly, relieved: my intuition had been right all along.
I said that I don't use OnlyFans; I don't need it – I don't want anything to do with that. My friend screenshotted a few of the photos and sent them to me. They were photos of me taken in Portugal. I was shocked. This time, the photos were edited – or nudified – to show my breasts, and you could see my nipples coming out. I didn't consent to this. I called him, but again, he didn't reply. When I emailed him, he replied, saying that I had agreed he could use the photos as he wanted, but I knew we had agreed he wasn’t to use them for pornography.
I was terrified that my work would find out about the photos and think I was using OnlyFans – I could have been sacked.
It took a while to convince him to remove the photos. With the help of a lawyer friend, I sent him legal documents to shut it down. I think he thought, 'You’re just a model, I can do whatever I want with the pictures because I've taken them.' If he did that to me, he could have done that to anyone.
It was heartbreaking. It was one of the reasons why I decided to stop modelling. What if my friend had never seen those pictures? They would have been online for God knows how long. I still don't know if people are posting images of me without my consent – I want other people to be aware of what other people can do with your images. You need to be very careful of who you trust and who you decide to work with. Some people think they can do anything they want because they think, 'Well, you're a woman, I'm a man, I've got the camera, and I'll do whatever I want.'
I reached out to OnlyFans to make them aware of the situation. I explained what the photographer was doing behind my back, and they removed all his pictures and fined him. They were supportive, but the entire situation had drained me. I always have to be anxious; I'm always paranoid about who's seen the photos.
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This experience made me think, ‘I can’t do this anymore'. I was getting older, and I just didn't need the hassle of someone posting my images whenever they wanted.
I chose not to get the police involved. I knew they would say it was my fault – I'm a model, I let him take the pictures. What can they do? That's what most police do in most cases. I remember when an ex-boyfriend of a friend shared her nude pictures on Facebook, and she got the police involved, all they did was give her a case number. So I said I've got to fight it by myself.
More policies and regulations need to be implemented on how models' images are used. We should be able to make informed decisions about where our images will be posted – and who will profit from them.
As told to GLAMOUR's Purpose Editor, Lucy Morgan.
GLAMOUR has reached out to OnlyFans for comment.
GLAMOUR is campaigning for the government to introduce an Image-Based Abuse Bill in partnership with Jodie Campaigns, the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Not Your Porn, and Professor Clare McGlynn.
Revenge Porn Helpline provides advice, guidance and support to victims of intimate image-based abuse over the age of 18 who live in the UK. You can call them on 0345 6000 459.
The Cyber Helpline provides free, expert help and advice to people targeted by online crime and harm in the UK and USA.
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