Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has emerged victorious over a three year-long battle against men’s magazine rag Zoo Weekly, after winning a defamation case over the magazine’s photoshopped portrayal of the Senator in July 2012.
Back in December 2013, Hanson-Young began the initial stages of a defamation case against Zoo Weekly, for a photo that portrayed Hanson-Young’s face on the body of a woman in a bikini. At the time, the shot was put forward by Zoo to encourage the Senator to partake in a—no doubt tasteful AF—lingerie shoot, by offering to house “a boatload” of asylum seekers at Zoo Weekly HQ as an incentive. The caption below the photo of Hanson-Young read:
“If Sarah Hanson-Young wants more asylum seekers on Australian shores, then this is one way to make sure they keep coming. We know she’ll have her knockers if she agrees, but we’re confident she’ll realise it’s good for the country.”
Make this shit up, you cannot. But it got worse.
In the same issue, Zoo put a callout for “Australia’s hottest asylum seeker“, writing:
“We’re looking for Oz’s hottest asylum seeker, so if you’ve swapped persecution for sexiness, we want to shoot you (with a camera — relax!) Send your pics and a short story about your tragic past.”
While it is unknown whether Zoo Weekly will be liable for damages to Sarah Hanson-Young, the magazine will have to print the following apology in an upcoming issue.
Zoo have had to apologise for their smutty & sexist portrayal of me in their men’s mag. I’m trilled the fight is won pic.twitter.com/2Owbb2eoq1
— Sarah Hanson-Young (@sarahinthesen8) June 7, 2015
In a statement, Hanson-Young praised the ruling, claiming it was a victory for the fight against sexism and bigotry.
“As a mother it is a huge concern that my own daughter can Google my name and find images of my face Photoshopped onto the body of a near naked woman. Young women need to see their female leaders taking a stand against sexism. My daughter needs to know I did. Whether it is a smutty men’s magazine or in pages of the daily newspapers, there is no place for the degradation of women and the right of women to have views or opinions.”
On Friday, after allegations emerged over Sarah Hanson-Young being spied on and monitored by security staff at Australia’s detention centre on Nauru in 2012, the Senator criticised Prime Minister Tony Abbott‘s response to the issue, saying, “..if he [Tony Abbott] doesn’t understand that women don’t like to be watched, my gosh, and it is just creepy, frankly. It is creepy.”
Via SMH.
Lead image by Tang Chhin Sothy via Getty.
