Nude celebs - what's the big deal?

If you have genitals, you probably know that there was a huge privacy breach that exposed videos and photos from over one hundred celebrities. (All women I think - just goes to show that there is a need for more female hackers.)

For those curious, these are some of the celebrities affected: Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Keegan, Kirsten Dunst, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ariana Grande, Victoria Justice, Kate Upton, Hope Solo, Krysten Ritter, Yvonne Strahovski, Teresa Palmer, Avril Lavigne, Kim Kardashian, and Rihanna.

A few of these famous people have denied these photos of being theirs, some outright say that those are photos of them, and others like Jennifer Lawrence's representative say, "The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence," which is a more professional way of saying, "Yes, those are her titties."

When reading articles and comments on social media regarding this, I was displeased to discover a myriad of comments like these:

1) "Most importantly...where can I find these?"

2) "These celebrities deserve it. Why are they complaining anyways? It's like a celeb rite of passage. They always have their fame and money to cheer themselves up."

3) "There is one simple answer to all of this: DON'T TAKE NUDE PICTURES OF YOURSELF!! God, people are so stupid."

The problem I have with the first comment is that it is called a "privacy breach" for a reason - it is violating people's privacy. Sure, I am curious how some of these celebrities look in the nude (especially with the lack of professional lighting, Photoshop, etc.), but I try not to encourage the exploitation of these individuals, especially since these photos and videos were posted without their consent.

I felt bad enough sharing this on my personal Facebook - Libertarian Troll

Somehow, a lot of people think that celebrities literally have it all. "Is  John Travolta depressed? He's famous and has a lot of money - he can just buy the new "Be Happy Forever" medication that only rich people can afford! Wait...no such thing? He still has a lot of money...and he's famous. A lot of people like famous people. Also, didn't you know that money can buy happiness?" If these celebrities wanted the public to see these naked photos, they would have found a way to make it happen - staged it in a way that actually makes the individual stand out. "Hope Solo has private photos released at the same time as over a hundred other female celebs? Who cares - I'd rather ogle over an Oscar winner!" (Okay, I admit, I had to look her up to see who she was and make sure she wasn't an Oscar winner to make the joke work.)

I hope that not everybody forgot that celebrities are human beings too.

So the third example is probably the most-said and is definitely the one that pisses me off the most. I seriously would not be surprised if over half of my Facebook friends have nude photos of themselves. It is when nude or partially-nude pictures of celebrities emerge that I notice slut-shaming at its worst. First off, these people have the rights to take pictures/videos of themselves and send them to those who want them. Secondly, why does the United States have to be so prudish?? Good luck to the mother who wants to breastfeed her hungry child in public without anybody flipping shit. If you want to feel sexy, go for it (hopefully you don't rely on the opinions of others to feel confident though). If you think believe nudity is natural, you may just be right.

Jennette McCurdy on Reddit

As for "knowing better" because these may come back to haunt you some day...Why should the public even care? Last time I checked, my GPA does not rely on how sexually-attractive or "immoral" I am. (I mean sure, there may be some subconscious influence, and I would be lying if I said it would be terrible if my GPA did rely on my attractiveness - though it is subjective.) Why should a man not be hired by a company because sexy pictures he took of himself for his wife five years ago were found?

Penis ≠ Incompetence

Vulva ≠  Incompetence

Breasts ≠ Incompetence

Butt ≠ Incompetence

We all have at least one of these body parts (butts). "Oh my god, I have seen his bare tush - we can't hire him!"

Even if a person does regret taking photos of him/herself and is afraid of a possible leak, it does not mean that the person deserves to feel that way. This is just speculation, but I think it is very likely that the main reason someone is afraid of having risque photos uncovered is because of the fear of being shamed. Why shame someone for something they did in private, which does not hurt anyone?

The Onion made a very good point that every potential 2040 US presidential candidate is unelectable due to social media.

What do y'all think about government action on behalf of victims?

Scarlett Johansson's hacker was sentenced to ten years in prison. Is this a worthy punishment? Is there a better way of dealing with this individuals? (I am not talking about victory parades.)

Rumor has it that these photos and videos from this ordeal were obtained via Apple's iCloud. I will not bash people for having this kind of content on the cloud or their phones, but just be aware of how easily it can be accessed by those with bad intentions. (If we cannot trust Apple with our nude photos, how can we trust them with our wallets?)

There are jokes (or maybe they're not supposed to be...) that someone from the NSA leaked them. Whether or not that is true, it is scary to think how they can look at your personal stuff. However, as a friend once told me, "I don't care if the NSA sees me naked. The poor people who work there are always being antagonized by the public. If the sight of my genitalia makes them even a little bit more happy, so be it."

I am glad that I am not the only person pointing out the ridiculousness of this "scandal," Forbes has this great piece on it, so does Clickhole, Daily Life, and The Huffington Post.

The point of this all is that nudity is nudity. I am a firm believer that our obsession with over-sexualizing and shaming the naked body needs to stahp. Judge me all you want, but I am not ashamed of the God-given beauty that is my body.

Taking one for the team

You have my consent to look at this and even enjoy it. However, you do not have my consent to use it in a way that will reflect badly upon me or make me feel bad about myself. Why am I doing this? Some people may think it is for attention. To be honest, if utilized correctly, I could make this a very popular post. The real reason I am doing this though is because I would feel a bit hypocritical for writing about nudity not being a big deal, then keeping myself hidden. It sure is one thing to talk to talk, but another to walk the walk.

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