According to Tonight's MAFS Reunion, Slut-Shaming Is Alive and Well in 2022

By now, it’s no secret that the nude photo scandal of MAFS this year has rocked audiences all over Australia.

The scandal, that saw contestant Olivia Frazer share a nude photo of Domenica Calarco from her OnlyFans account with the group, in an attempt to stir gossip, speak badly of her and potentially ruin her relationship with groom Jack Millar, has truly been one of the most shocking things we’ve ever seen on Married At First Sight Australia.

Now, we don’t need to go into all the details, but let’s just go through a brief recap of what’s happened since that episode went to air a few weeks ago.

Days after the photo was leaked, outraged viewers took to Change.org to petition against Frazer, with one of them asking the e-Safety Commissioner to take immediate action for image-based abuse.

The petition, which was started by Peter Molak Joyce, stated that: “Olivia Frazer shared an intimate image of another participant Domenica Calarco with the other participants in the program, without Calarco’s consent.”

Now, Frazer’s argument has remained the same: That it was there for anyone to see via a Google search, and therefore doesn’t feel that she was doing anything targeted and that she “honestly didn’t think it was a big deal”.

However, her actions fit neatly into the definition of an illegal offence, coined “distribution of invasive images”, or more commonly known as “revenge porn”. This offence is defined by law, as “an offence to distribute an invasive image of another person knowing, or having reason to believe, that the person does not consent to its distribution”.

It has been reported that the NSW police are currently investigating the matter.

Viewers have also been fighting against Olivia’s right to teach in Australia, with another Change.org petition stating she’s “a bully and she should never be a teacher or probably around kids in general”, after stating defiantly in a couch session with husband Jackson and the experts, that “as far as empathy, I just don’t have it. I don’t care.”.

Since then, Frazer herself has revealed that she’s lost her job, due to her behaviour on MAFS, as well as saying that “in Australia, I feel like I’m more hated than Vladimir Putin.” Eek.

Okay phew. I know that’s a lot. But stay with me, because there’s something at the centre of all of this, that needs to be addressed; body shaming.

We often think of body shaming as someone putting down the aesthetic of someone else’s body, ie: commenting on body parts they don’t like and putting an individual down in the process. However, this incident, shows a group of women, targeting another woman based on decisions she’s made with her body, that they don’t agree with.

The reason that Frazer obtained this photo to share with the group is the issue because she thought that the photo itself was bad. She viewed another woman, putting a photo of her naked body up on the internet, to be bad enough to not only humiliate Calarco on national television, but turn the group and her husband, Jack, against her.

Although on camera, Frazer said things like “good for you girl” and “I have no problem with it”, these sentiments were spoken with ingenuity and don’t reflect her behaviour. If she truly viewed it as a “meh” situation, she wouldn’t have used it as ammunition.

But the worst part of all? Other women sided with her. Other contestants like Tamara seemed to side with Frazer, deeming Calarco’s choice to put a nude photo of herself on the internet to be something to look down upon, while others were silent bystanders, not standing up for Calarco’s freedom to do whatever the f*ck she wants with her body.

I felt like screaming at the television. Could they really not see that passing a nude photo around of someone without their knowledge, and with malicious intention — or at the very least to create negative gossip — was super problematic? Way more problematic than taking a nude photo of yourself for a subscriber-only OnlyFans account.

I’d like to take a moment to put this in writing: there is nothing shameful about putting a naked photo of yourself on the internet. For some people, that’s their income. There are platforms that are inclusive and empowering and it’s up to each individual with what they want to put out there. That should be respected.

For me, the main issue with this whole fiasco, are that the opinions of Calarco having a nude photo of herself on the internet as an explanation to share it around. We’re finally getting to a point in pop culture and society where it’s okay, even empowering, for women to do whatever they like with their bodies, so it feels like a blow to our collective progression to see a group of women that openly think it’s okay to judge a woman and shame her because of her own choices to do with her body.

“I’d never be in this position because I’d never do that,” Tamara said, as an explanation of why she didn’t feel bad about the situation.

These sentiments were echoed at the reunion dinner party, where Tamara, Samantha and Olivia sat around and talked negatively about Calarco, an opinion that seems to have stemmed from this nude photo leak. Unfortunately, the opinions that these women hold are seemingly based on whether or not their agree with Calarco’s decision to post nude content of herself on the internet.

Honestly, this high school slut-shaming is triggering to watch, and really disappointing to see of adult women.

Alternatively, the way Calarco has chosen to handle the entire thing outside of the experiment is admirable; turning it into a public message about body image. At her viewing party on Sunday evening, herself and the other contestants in attendance wore shirts that read “My body, My choice bitch!” sending the message that she owns her choices and stands by them, something we already know her for. Personally, I think that the way she’s handled the criticism of her content in the public eye is truly inspiring for other women to see.

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Although in tonight’s final reunion episode, Frazer admitted to regretting the way she spoke to Calarco throughout the experiment, although there was no mention of remorse for sharing a nude photo behind someone’s back and judging them for it.

I’m just glad, that in today’s pop culture news coverage, the stories that are emerging are those of female empowerment; that women should be able do what they want with their bodies without judgement and the majority of viewers seem to be supporting Calcarco’s decisions.

They’ve also raised a really important conversation about revenge porn, in perhaps a situation that might’ve previously been a grey area for some.

So, next time someone goes to gossip negatively about someone else behind their back, take a moment to think about the intention behind the gossip, and if that’s really something you’d like to be a part of.

And just in case it wasn’t already clear, it’s never okay to negatively judge what a woman chooses to do with her body, regardless of your own personal opinions. Period.

Want more MAFS goss? Check out the stories below:

According to Tonight’s MAFS Reunion, Slut-Shaming Is Alive and Well in 2022

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