Iggy Azalea has expressed her dismay over the leak of topless photographs taken during a photo shoot, stating that she feels “blindsided” and “embarrassed”.
In a statement released on Twitter on Monday, the rapper writes that she took part in a photo shoot for the cover of GQ magazine in 2016.
Azalea says that she posed topless for a series of pictures during the shoot, ensuring that her hands were “strategically placed” to cover her breasts.
The Australian musician explains that her understanding prior to the photo shoot was that the publication would not print any topless pictures.
However, topless outtakes from the photo shoot were recently leaked online, an act which Azalea says in the statement has made her feel “violated”.
“Recently some outtakes from my 2016 GQ magazine cover were leaked to the public. A lot of high profile women have shot covers for GQ with a strategically placed hand etc covering their breasts etc. I always felt they were very beautiful covers, so I jumped at the opportunity,” Azalea states.
“I hadn’t seen other women’s covers leak so I felt comfortable (on a closed set) to model for such a reputable magazine knowing only the images with my hands covering would be considered for print.”
Azalea adds that she “never consented to taking topless pictures for potential release, period”.
“There was no reason for anyone to have kept the outtakes from the shoot,” the 28-year-old writes. “I’m surprised and angry that they were not immediately deleted after the final images were selected.”
The release of the pictures has made the rapper feel “blindsided, embarrassed, violated, angry, sad, and a million other things,” she says.
The subsequent “outright wicked” comments people have left online with regards to the photographs have taken an even further toll on her, Azalea states.
“If you’ve ever been humiliated before in front of family and those you care about maybe you can relate to what I’m going through,” the rapper writes.
“It’s like a nuclear bomb that explodes and not only destroys you emotionally, but leaves a path of destruction in your personal life, affecting your relationships and people who matter most too.”
Azalea says she intends on finding out who leaked the pictures and pressing criminal charges.
The star has deactivated her Twitter and Instagram accounts following the abuse she’s received online.
“I have seen some really vicious s**t written in the last 24 hours and it is too much negativity for me to handle,” she states.