The Most Famous Xerox Butt

When Jodi Stutz was hired as a secretary at Deere & Co. farm machinery company, history was in the making.

It started with photocopying her face. An instant hit. But she had to transcend.

So, one day, with a coworker standing guard, she dropped her drawers and hopped up on the machine. Jodi was so pleased with her massterpiece, she distributed it around the office. We imagine there were some fans in the office, but her boss was not one of them. Jodi was fired soon after.

But when one door closes, another opens. Although we unfortunately couldn't find the image itself, Jodi Stutz and her photographic stunt became a cultural moment that would stand the test of time.

A column by renowned journalist Bob Greene on this chain of events was published on February 28, 1980, leading to mentions on The Tonight Show by Johnny Carson and an appearance on NBC. Playboy even offered a feature (she refused — a purist in her medium). When the hubbub died down, Jodi actually wrote a book manuscript about her photocopy and the wild ride of its 15 minutes of fame—titled ”It Was Only a Paper Moon”— but the book was never purchased by a publisher. (A massive miss.)

Was Jodi the first person to ever photocopy their butt? Probably not. Andy Warhol was making Xerox art in 1969, and the machine itself was launched ten years prior.