An Australian news station has come under fire after broadcasting a doctored photo of a female politician that “enlarged” her breasts and made her outfit more revealing.
The altered image of 31-year-old Victorian Legislative Council member Georgie Purcell appeared on Nine News Melbourne Monday night after she criticized the government’s rejection of a duck hunting ban.
“Having my body and outfit photoshopped by a media outlet was not on my bingo card,” wrote the youngest member of the state’s parliament.
She shared the image used by 9 News alongside the original photograph.
“Note the enlarged boobs and outfit to be made more revealing,” wrote Purcell, a former stripper who has spoken out about being a constant target of sexism.
“Can’t imagine this happening to a male MP. What gives?”
The photoshopped image not only “enlarged” Purcell’s breasts but altered her outfit from a white tank top dress to a crop top revealing her midriff.
The tattooed politician and lawyer noted how the altered pic could never be her.
“Hot tip 9 I’ve got my whole stomach tattooed,” she noted of the ink-free flesh seen in the news image.
Hugh Nailon, the Director of Nine News Melbourne, later apologized for the “graphic error” that occurred as a result of “automation by Photoshop.”
“I would like to sincerely apologize to Georgie Purcell for a graphic error that occurred in last night’s bulletin,” he said.
“Our graphics department sourced an online image of Georgie to use in our story on duck hunting. As is common practice, the image was resized to fit our specs. During that process, the automation by Photoshop created an image that was not consistent with the original,” Nailon said.
“This did not meet the high editorial standards we have and for that we apologize to Ms. Purcell unreservedly.”
Purcell, who is the youngest woman in the state’s parliament, has spoken out about being a constant target of sexism.
The 31-year-old lawyer, who worked as a stripper to support herself through school, told BBC the altered image has reinvigorated sexist vitriol she has been on the receiving end of ever since she was elected in 2022.
“[They are] criticizing me, telling me to get back on the pole, like weaponizing it against me,” she said.
Purcell was also skeptical of Nine News Melbourne’s response and why the newsroom staff did not notice her outfit had been sexualized.
“This is not just some random person on the internet,” she said. “This is an organization with a lot of staff and a lot of resources that frankly should know better.”