It's been quite a day for Iggy Azalea. The 28-year-old rapper was reportedly devastated when she logged onto social media and saw that nude photos of herself had been leaked online. The response was swift as social media users quickly shared the images and tweeted the Australian rapper their opinions.
To combat the onslaught of messages, and because she felt embarrassed by the leak, Iggy deactivated her social media accounts. In a since-deleted post, Iggy shared that she was "surprised and angry" about the leak. She confirmed that it is her in the photos and that the unused pictures were from a 2016 GQ photo shoot. The rapper said they were never supposed to be released under any circumstances, so she will be moving forward with pressing criminal charges.
“Today I’m a ball of negative emotions," she wrote. "I feel blindsided, embarrassed, violated, angry, sad and a million other things. Not solely because I did not consent to this — but also because of the vile way people have reacted. A lot of the comments I see from men in particular taking things even further and sharing their thoughts and fantasies in regards to my body has honestly disturbed me."
"The outright wicked things people say is overwhelming & makes me feel like throwing up,” she continued. “If you’ve ever been humiliated before in front of family & those you care about maybe you can relate to what I’m going through. It’s like a nuclear bomb that explodes and not only destroys you emotionally, but leaves a path of destruction in your personal life, effecting your relationships & people who matter most too."
The photographer who shot Iggy for that session, Nino Muñoz, has issued a statement of his own, saying that the pictures were stolen from him. "My heart goes out to anyone this situation has affected," he wrote. "I’m utterly outraged and will not rest until justice is served." He also shared a text image that reads, "I'm outraged and saddened to find out that images of mine were stolen and published without my permission. There is currently an investigation underway."
"Posting these stolen images is illegal and anyone who has done so will be prosecuted," he continues. "I empathize with any discomfort that this situation has caused to anyone that is involved."
