A more recent photo of 24-year-old Lauren McGrath. McGrath says the blue romper photo used in Deja Stwalleys Facebook profile was taken in 2014, when she was 22.
A more recent photo of 24-year-old Lauren McGrath. McGrath says the blue romper photo used in Deja Stwalley's Facebook profile was taken in 2014, when she was 22. Courtesy of Lauren McGrath

Six Seattle women came forward last week to allege that a Facebook profile known as “Deja Stwalley” solicited them with promises of a lucrative career in porn. Three of these women say that as part of Stwalley's scouting process, they were coerced into having a sex-based “audition” with Seattle tech journalist Matt Hickey. Now, those six women don't believe that a porn recruiter named Deja Stwalley actually exists.

As I reported last week, Deja Stwalley was a real person's maiden name—but not a porn recruiter's. Now it appears that the young woman whose photos were used as part of the Deja Stwalley Facebook profile has been found. Washington, D.C. bouncer, freelance writer, and doula Lauren McGrath says that Stwalley’s Facebook photos—including the profile picture of Stwalley wearing a blue romper, Stwalley building a campfire, Stwalley playing with a cat, and Stwalley hugging someone—were stolen from her account.

“I feel really upset for [the women who say they were 'auditioned' by Hickey], and I feel gross that they now associate my face with being used and hurt and exploited,” McGrath, 24, told The Stranger.

The blue romper photo that the “Deja Stwalley” profile used was taken in 2014, when McGrath was teaching pre-kindergarten and on her way to attend a school picnic. “And as to why he used my pictures, who the hell knows,” McGrath said. “Rompers don’t scream porn [recruiter].”

McGrath found out about the story after a family friend sent her a link to the piece published in The Stranger. “She messaged me this morning with the details,” McGrath told The Stranger on Sunday. “I kind of laughed at first: Could you not just go to a bar to get laid? It wasn’t until I got to work tonight and sat down and read the article two or three more times…”

Now McGrath says that she’s considering legal action.

When The Stranger contacted Matt Hickey to ask if he had created the Deja Stwalley profile using McGrath’s photos, he texted back: “I don’t know McGrath. Let me get back to you in the morning.”

McGrath’s bartender friends say, however, that they know Matt Hickey. McGrath says that several of her friends worked at a bar where they say Hickey was a regular several years ago.

McGrath added that she hopes to have a conversation with Hickey one day about why he allegedly chose her photos. If we hear more from Hickey this morning, we'll update.