【beyond eroticism】

The beyond eroticismGolden Globes might be a bit of a blur to us now, but there's one person who still stands out in our minds: FIJI Water woman.

In case you're not sure who I'm on about, "FIJI Water woman" was the nickname given to Kelleth Cuthbert, the woman who became an icon after photobombing several celebrities on the red carpet at the Globes.

In an unexpected turn of events, Cuthbert — whose real name is Kelly Steinbach — is now suing FIJI Water Company and The Wonderful Company, claiming they created a cardboard cutout marketing campaign using her image without her authorisation.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Cuthbert claims she was "pressured" to "sign away her rights in the moniker 'Fiji Water Girl'" and to allow the company to use her photo in a marketing campaign. She claims she didn't agree to this.

"The fake document Steinbach signed in the potential future promotional video was not an agreement," Cuthbert's lawyer Kimberly Buffington claims in the lawsuit. "The fake document was not signed by Fiji Water and was later destroyed by Steinbach."

In a statement to THR, A FIJI Water spokesperson stated the lawsuit is "frivolous" and "entirely without merit."

"After the Golden Globes social media moment, we negotiated a generous agreement with Ms. Cuthbert that she blatantly violated. We are confident that we will prevail in court. Throughout our history, we have had a sterling reputation working with talent," reads the statement.

Cuthbert claims the unauthorised use of her likeness has damaged her "peace, happiness, feelings, goodwill, professional standing, and future publicity value." Per THR, her lawsuit seeks "punitive and compensatory damages, plus disgorgement of FIJI Water's profits."