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Victoria’s Secret Model Sara Sampaio Slams Paparazzi for Topless Photo

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 10: Model Sara Sampaio attends The Daily Front Row's Third Annual Fashion Media Awards at the Park Hyatt New York on September 10, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images Portrait for The Daily Front Row)
Sara Sampaio has some choice words for photographers who invade her privacy. (Photo: Getty Images)

Model Sara Sampaio is fuming about a “photo shoot” she unwittingly took part in while sunbathing topless in the south of France recently. The 25-year-old Victoria’s Secret star was snapped by the paparazzi while vacationing on a private yacht in Saint-Tropez with her boyfriend, tech CEO Oliver Ripley, according to the Daily Mail (one of the sites that published the unauthorized photos of Sampaio).

The Portuguese model took to her Facebook fan page to publicly call out the paparazzi: “I had no idea that there was someone far away with a big telescopic lense [sic] taking pictures of me,” she wrote. She also slammed the publications that ran the candid images. “What kind of society do we live in where people are paid money to spy on others, take pictures, and invade their privacy. As a young woman, I feel violated,” she continued.

Sampaio also addressed body-shaming comments about her swimsuit-model figure, which was captured without the lighting, camera angles, and Photoshop used to make her look flawless in ad campaigns and editorial spreads. “I’m proud of my figure,” the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model wrote. “I know I’m not perfect, far from it, but it’s who I am, and I work hard to stay in shape. Why are people so quick to objectify women, to comment that this part of their body is too small, or that that part is too big.”

In some European countries, such as France, it’s common for women to go topless, especially while sunbathing and swimming (though it’s not OK to wear a conservative “burkini” it seems). Even so, as Sampaio pointed out, she was aboard a private vessel — far from public view — and she demands her boundaries be respected when she’s not posing professionally for photos. “Its my job, yes, I get paid for taking pictures, but I give my consent to take them,” she wrote. “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.”

In her open letter, Sampaio suggested that the people who encourage and take part in paparazzi photo shoots put themselves in her shoes — or in her parents’ shoes. “How would you feel if you woke up one morning to find pictures of your 25-year-old daughter topless all over the Internet?” she asked. “Your daughter had done nothing wrong, she was sunbathing, she was not in a public place, she was privately minding her own business.”

The post has really struck a chord, with 20,000 reactions, 605 shares, and more than 600 comments, mostly supportive. “No matter what job you do, no matter who you are, everyone have their own, private life and should not be treated like an object that can be sold. You have your rights same as every other person,” wrote one fan. “What you wrote was spot-on. I’m sorry people are so driven by greed or some other weird infatuation. I stopped understanding those types of people long ago,” another added. “Body-shaming? How in the world could anyone body shame you? You are PERFECT!” wrote a third.

In the spirit of the Internet, critics voiced their opinions too. “I’m not condoning the actions of paparazzi, or downplaying your concern about their invasion of your privacy. However, there are many legitimate topless photos of you on the Internet,” one person wrote. “Photos I assume you have been paid for and signed releases for.” Another commented: “I really can’t understand why are you complaining about this. This happens every day to famous people, all over the world. … There are pros and cons of being famous, you should know.”

Sampaio’s final comments were directly to the paparazzi and tabloid media: “To the person that sold my picture to the press, I really hope that one day you don’t wake up with your daughter’s naked picture all over the Internet,” she wrote, closing her letter with, “To the press, please stop funding people to take these pictures, and to the people that hate and body-shame, let’s show more compassion and love.”

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