A 30-year-old woman, Olga Larrea, on Saturday, January 11, was taken into custody after posing nude on a popular seaside sculpture, La Perla, in La Paz, Mexico.
According to eyewitnesses and video footage, Larrea stepped onto the base of the sculpture and quickly removed her dress as a photographer prepared to capture the moment. She then tossed her dress at the photographer and climbed atop the monument, striking various poses as traffic slowed and bystanders looked on in shock.
Following the photoshoot, Larrea signaled to her photographer to hand her her dress, and she climbed down from the sculpture. She was subsequently approached by law enforcement and placed under arrest.
Larrea was taken to the local prosecutor’s office, where she was released after paying a fine of 3,365 Mexican pesos (approximately $163).
Prior to her arrest, Larrea had posted the photoshoot pictures on her Facebook account but later deleted them.
In a statement on social media, Larrea criticized the authorities for not respecting her right to self-expression.
“Guess who was arrested for simply existing?” she wrote. “Why is the human body censored, but not violence? Nudity is not offensive, it is natural. Let’s stop the shaming, reclaim our freedom, and normalize what is human.”
However, many social media users condemned Larrea’s actions, suggesting that she should have chosen a more appropriate location for her photoshoot. “Let her show off her body in another place where it is allowed to go nude, where she does not damage any sculpture,” one user commented. Another user felt that the authorities should have taken more severe action, rather than simply imposing a fine.
