How Often Do You Take Racy Selfies?

The news of Jennifer Lawrence’s nude pics and selfies have just hit my Twitter feed and I feel really bad for her. Actually I don’t, because I don’t quite believe they’re her. I’m not sure why, but I’m just not totally convinced. But it got me thinking and talking to Mr Love.

When we first started dating I wanted to send him a racy picture and he said, “No don’t!” I thought, “What a kill joy. Here I am trying to be a desired young women and this guy won’t let me!” None the less, I didn’t and boy am I glad I never did. In the years we’ve been together I’ve had TWO iphones pick pocketed from me (once at the Bang Bang club and once at the Assembly). What if I had racy pictures on my phone? Or if his phone was stolen with images of me on it?!

The Assembly manager’s phone was also stolen that night and showed up on Find My iPhone in Luanda (Angola) with Lucy by Monday morning. God knows where your personal images can go to. It’s difficult to predict the future of the internet and how humans will behave badly when it’s in the mix, but revenge porn is now becoming a chargeable offence in the UK and the Unites States.

REVENGE PORN

While the world sniggered and giggled (and some other things) over Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian’s sex tapes,
essentially they were the world’s first victims of revenge porn- the act of an ex publishing private, sexual videos in the public space.

Or as Wikipedia says, “Revenge porn is sexually explicit media that is publicly shared online without the consent of the pictured individual.^[1] Revenge porn may be uploaded by ex-partners to shame or embarrass the pictured individual, or by hackers.” According to Paris Hilton’s reality show, she has never made a cent from her sex tape, contrary to popular belief that she was in on it. Her family was humiliated as was she. Often celebrities are dehumanised in the media but they all have Mothers and Fathers who they have to answer to and who have to live through these revenge porn ordeals.

So the next time you consider sending a racy image to your new partner, ask yourself – would your Mom and Dad deal with seeing it on the internet?

Chances are 50/50 that it could end up online. You’re the half that wouldn’t publish it (if you’re a sane person) but an angry ex, a thief who has access to your phone, the networks themselves – the list goes on of potentially bad people who could leak your private images. Just don’t to it. As my Dad always says, “Those who can do, those who can’t, watch.” So keep your sexual activity for real life and keep it off digital media!