Like so many others, Lucy Hale has now been given a reason to hate hard on 2016.
Not because of who the country just elected President.
And not because of all the celebrity deaths that have left Hollywood shaken over the past several months.
But because Hale recently became the latest woman to have her privacy violated on the Internet.
A morally-questionable celebrity gossip website, Celeb Jihad, shared photos online of the Pretty Little Liars star without a shirt on.
For whom were these topless images intended? That question isn’t important.
What’s important is that someone stole them from Hale and released them for public viewing.
According to TMZ , Hale’s attorney, Marty Singer, sent an angry letter to the website demanding that the pictures be removed… or a lawsuit would be filed.
There were a total of two racy photos obtained and leaked by the site, both of which depicted Hale’s breasts and nipples, including a tattoo on one of the actress’ boobs.
They were meant for a friend and some moron hacked into Hale’s phone to illegally acquire them.
To her credit, Hale has responded to this incident with both pride and venom.
She’s pissed off, but she isn’t ashamed.
“Once again, a woman in the public eye was violated, stolen from and her private life and body were exposed for anyone to see,” Hale wrote in response on Thursday, expounding as follows:
“I will not apologize for living my life and having a personal life that is all mine. It’s truly unfortunate that being exposed in this way is allowed.”
The 27-year-old actress went on to thank fans for their support, concluding with a pointed message at “whoever” is responsible for the photo leak.
“Thank you for all the sweet, supportive messages I’ve been receiving.
“It was a much needed reminder that I’m surrounded by so much love. I appreciate you all very much. And to whoever did this…kiss my ass.”
HA! We love it!
You tell ‘em, Lucy!
Over the past couple years, stars such as Scarlett Johansson, Gabrielle Union, Kate Upton, and Leslie Jones have seen their privacy violated in this same disgusting manner.
Just a few weeks, Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams was forced to address her own nude photo leak.
It’s really a huge shame, isn’t it?
People can really suck a lot, can’t they?
Fortunately, young actresses such as Hale and Williams are here to remind us that people can also be resilient and strong in the face of stupid, horny, mean-spirited hackers.
Hale and her Pretty Little Liars colleagues, meanwhile, will start to say goodbye on April 18, 2017.
On that date, the series returns to kick off its final run of episodes. Ever.
We’re sad to see it go, but we’re happy to think that Hale will stick around for many years afterward.
She’s a young, talented, strong and pretty actress. And she can sing! We’re big fans.
Here’s a look at the cast saying farewell to fans, not long after Freeform confirmed that Season 7 will be the show’s final season:
