Heidi Matthews does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Each time Zoia makes a court appearance, the news cycle fills with pictures and videos of her walking to and from court, and chairgirl trends on social media.
On Feb. Zoia has plead guilty to one charge of mischief endangering life, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The prosecution recommended four to six months jail time, to be followed by hours of community service and two years probation with a host of conditions including, among others, alcohol counselling and a ban on social media posting.
This means that she would be given a term of probation with conditions attached and a criminal record. Were Zoia to breach her probation order, not only could she be sentenced to jail for her original crime, but she may incur additional charges.
Social media has provided the public with an outlet for both its titillation and its vengefulness. Overwhelmingly, online calls for Zoia to face severe punishment have been accompanied with disdainful references to her gender and sexuality. Her likeness even became a popular Halloween costume in Toronto. Strikingly, it is not only male commentators indulging in misogyny directed at Zoia; women are a vocal part of the chorus as well.
