Celebrities are rarely granted peace in public spaces and have long grown accustomed to the constant presence of paparazzi. For many stars, being photographed is simply part of the job—especially for high-profile models and artists whose visibility fuels careers shaped by modeling, branding, and social media influence. Yet what seems like a harmless act—sharing a photo of yourself on Instagram—has increasingly become a legal minefield.
Over the past decade, several celebrities have discovered that reposting paparazzi photos can lead to copyright lawsuits. One notable example is Gigi Hadid, who was sued in 2019 by a photographer after she shared an image he had taken of her without permission. Although she was the subject of the photo, the copyright belonged to the photographer, not the model herself. This case highlighted a growing tension between personal image ownership and intellectual property law, especially within fashion, where models often work closely with model agencies and image rights are central to their careers.
More recently, Dua Lipa and Emily Ratajkowski have found themselves in similar legal battles. According to The Fashion Law, photo agency Integral Images sued Dua Lipa for sharing a paparazzi photo taken of her at an airport in 2019. The agency claims she posted the image without permission or credit, and that the post potentially generated indirect income by increasing her follower count—an important metric in both music and modeling industries. Integral Images is now seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000, arguing that unauthorized sharing harms the commercial value of their images.
Emily Ratajkowski, a prominent model represented by major model agencies, has been sued multiple times for reposting photos of herself. In one recent case, photographer Javier Mateo claimed that Ratajkowski copied and displayed several of his images on Instagram without consent, damaging his ability to resell them. He is seeking financial compensation or a temporary injunction to prevent further use. For photographers and agencies alike, such reposts can undermine licensing opportunities—an issue that directly affects the economics of fashion media and modeling.
This is not Ratajkowski’s first encounter with such disputes. In 2019, she was sued by photographer Robert O’Neil after sharing a paparazzi image in which she obscured her face with flowers. Her legal team argued that the post transformed the image into commentary, giving it new meaning and making it non-commercial. That case, still under legal consideration, raises broader questions about fair use and artistic expression in the age of social media.
In 2020, Ratajkowski addressed the issue head-on in an essay for The Cut titled Buying Myself Back: When Does a Model Own Her Own Image?. She described the surreal experience of being sued for sharing images that document her lack of privacy, and questioned why models—whose faces and bodies drive entire industries—often have so little control over their own likeness.
These cases are far from isolated. Khloé Kardashian was sued in 2017 by Xposure Photos for posting a paparazzi image of herself without credit, with damages initially reaching $175,000. Other celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, and Liam Hemsworth, have also faced similar lawsuits. Together, these examples reveal a persistent legal gray area where celebrity culture, modeling careers, model agencies, and copyright law collide.
While it may seem counterintuitive to be sued for sharing a photo of yourself, the reality is that copyright law prioritizes the creator of the image, not the subject. As social media continues to blur the lines between personal expression and commercial gain, models and celebrities—often guided by their model agencies—are being forced to navigate increasingly complex legal terrain. In an industry built on visibility, the question remains: who truly owns an image in the age of Instagram?
