“My body is not public property,” she wrote in a newly published personal essay.

Big Brother winner Taylor Hale slams fans who ‘got off’ on spreading naked images of her from show’s live feed

"My body is not public property," she wrote in a newly published personal essay.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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March 11, 2026 2:28 p.m. ET

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Taylor Hale on 'Big Brother' in 2022. Credit: CBS

*Big Brother* champ Taylor Hale is reclaiming ownership of her public image.

Hale, who in 2022 became the first Black woman to win a non-celebrity edition of the reality competition show, has stepped back in front of the camera, this time as *Playboy*'s Miss March.

For its spring issue, she poses in sultry pics in a topless photo spread, but in addition to the shoot Hale penned a personal essay addressing other images of her body that were clipped from the *Big Brother* livestream and circulated without her consent.

"Inside the* Big Brother* house, I understood that I was being watched," Hale began the essay. "It was explicit and contractual. But even there, the psychological boundaries of consent were more fraught than they appeared. There's a difference between agreeing to be observed and being consumed."

Hale added that there are still "corners of the internet" where fans can see nude images of her.

Taylor Hale poses for 'Playboy'.

Kanya Iwana for Playboy

"They were clipped from live feeds by viewers who were not interested in the story I was living, but in the access this surveillance provided them," she wrote. "They shared images of my body in vulnerable moments, like when I was changing my clothing or sleeping in the middle of the night. They commented on my form. They got off on having 'caught' me off guard."

Hale admitted that the issue is complicated, saying she did technically agree to "the possibility that anything could be seen," but she also voiced candid criticism of viewers who used their access to her body as a means to exploit her.

"When someone intentionally searches for, saves, and circulates images of your body, the image becomes a version of nonconsent — exploitation, even," she continued. "If your image exists publicly, it's treated as public property. The internet does not distinguish between what was offered and what was taken. It only distinguishes between what exists and what does not. And now, in the age of AI, even that distinction is being blurred."

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The former Miss Michigan USA went on to unpack her decision to team up with *Playboy*, explaining that the story gave her a chance to regain control of how her body is portrayed on the internet.

"Choosing to be photographed in this way, now, is a direct engagement with this new reality," she wrote. "It's a reminder that my body is not public property simply because it was made public before. I was an active participant in this photo shoot. I was a collaborator. I assumed my power by becoming a co-creator."

Hale added that she was intentional with her choices, which included handpicking photographer Kanya Iwana — whom she called "a woman who understands what I mean when I say I want these images to be something that allows me ownership over my body" — and publishing an essay to accompany the photos.

Taylor Hale attends the Annual Fifteen Percent Pledge Fundraising Gala in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 2026.

Savion Washington/Getty

"I carefully selected the words you read to explain why this moment feels so special," she wrote. "It's an opportunity for reclamation — for active consent in my most vulnerable form."

Hale concluded, "Surveillance may be the defining condition of modern life. But consent, real consent, still belongs to the person being seen. This is something none of us should take for granted. And it's something I remain committed to fighting for. Even if it took me posing in my underwear for you to think twice about it."

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Hale was crowned the champion of* Big Brother* season 24 in 2022, winning eight out of nine votes from the jury. Her victory was an uphill battle after she was ostracized at the start of the season, but she later found a powerful alliance that helped usher her to the front of the pack. She not only made history as the first Black woman to win the game, but was later awarded the coveted title of America's Favorite Houseguest, making her the first champion to snag the prize.

*Playboy*'s spring issue, including Hale's full photo shoot and essay, hits newsstands in April.

- Big Brother Fandom

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