Chances are that if you’ve ever Googled mugshots, she’s one of the first results you viewed. That’s what happens when your lifelong reminder of a terrible decision ends up looking better than most normal photographs of people, as Meagan Simmons has come to be forever known as the “Attractive Convict” thanks to her very good-looking mugshot. The 28-year old Floridian was arrested for DUI in 2010, and soon enough her mugshot became popular on sites like “Mughots” that allow you to rank jail photos, and mainstream sites like Reddit, Buzzfeed and us (naturally) eventually granted her Internet celebrity status.
Soon Simmons’s tractor beam of a stare began popping up on more unusual websites, and she and her friends began seeing it used as something more than just a dumb meme. The problem with the exposure of such a photo is that it’s going to wind up being used for all sorts of spam, as if you can just search for Simmons in Shutterstock. While she didn’t really mind all of the Internet perverts proposing to her on Twitter, the straw that broke the beautiful camel’s back came when people started profiting from her mugshot. That’s why she recently decided to put an end to it all by lawyering up.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Simmons “accused the background check website InstantCheckmate.com of using her picture for commercial and advertising purposes, without compensating her or even getting her permission.” Additionally, her lawyers laid down the legal thunder.
“Publishing (Simmons’) portrait, photograph or other likeness is done for a commercial or advertising purpose, is not newsworthy, and does not involve any current or legitimate public interest,” the suit says.
The former Hooters waitress (it’s Florida, so there was a 50/50 chance) doesn’t actually like the photo despite its popularity, probably because it reminds everyone that she was arrested for drunk driving. In fact, she admitted in an interview with WTSP 10 News in Tampa that she’s ashamed of it, and she basically couldn’t believe that her mugshot found its way to website front pages all over the world.
Ultimately, it has been a little scary for her, because just like her mugshot, all of her personal information is public record as well. So if you’re sitting out there thinking that you’ve got a shot with this babe, you should also know that she has four kids. If you’re the kind of loser who can’t even take care of a cat, you should just let this one go.