There’s just one thing more disrespectful than having images of yourself stolen.
And that’s having those images used as a ‘before’ shot to sell a photoshop app.
That’s exactly what happened to US model Tabria Majors, when she discovered last month her photos were being used by BodyCamera – an app that allows users to distort their images to make their bodies appear drastically thinner, taller or bigger-busted.
The darker the berry… ???? Shoutout to @mbvbelize for this sick villa! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ???? @fashionnova
A post shared by Tabria Majors (@tabriamajors) on
Majors, a professional model for brands like Fashion Nova Curve, was quite rightly pissed off that she was not paid by the app’s owners to use her photos in an Instagram ad to sell their product. But the 27-year-old was also infuriated her images were being used to promote an app that encourages women to “photoshop your body into oblivion”.
On Instagram, Majors shared copies of the ad, which has since been taken down from the app’s feed. BodyCamera, which ironically markets itself as “an amazing camera especially for women” has also used (and presumedly stolen) an image of Miley Cyrus to show how users can make themselves look “taller”.
“First of all @bodycamera2017 if you’re going to use my image to sell your product, run me my coin!” Majors wrote in her post exposing the app.
“Second of all, this is flat out disrespectful.
“I can understand minor touch-ups, but apps like these where you can photoshop your body into oblivion are a huge contributing factor to people having self-esteem issues.”
The co-host of The Thick podcast reminded her followers they are “beautiful just the way you are” and that they “don’t need an app to tell you that”.
Listen: Victoria’s Secret tried to pass this model off as ‘diverse’ because they didn’t photoshop out her tiny ‘flaw’. (Post continues.)
Since being discovered on Instagram in 2014 – before which she’d been working as a cleaner – Majors has been using her platform to promote body positivity.
On The Thick, she and co-host, writer Mindy J, discuss dating, work, fashion and beauty, as well as their experiences as curvy women of colour.
