I’m sure you’ve heard, but for those of you who enjoyed Labour Day away from social media…
Dozens of celebrities were exposed this weekend when nude photos resulting from an alleged iCloud hack were released online including Kirsten Dunst, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Teresa Palmer, Kate Upton…
It’s a long list. And perhaps the most famous person on that list: Jennifer Lawrence.
Lawrence has not denied that it’s her in the photos. Instead, her rep issued a statement:
"This is a flagrant violation of privacy. The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence."
TMZ is reporting that the FBI is now investigating.
What kind of a loser has that kind of time? To be f-cking around with passwords and messing with people’s accounts? It’s pathetic. It’s outrageous. It’s gross.
And I wonder whether or not we’ll ever get over it, this...subversive value that’s placed on female nudity and, by extension, female sexuality. That attitude doesn’t apply to men. Anthony Kiedis can quite safely perform on stage at the Super Bowl without his shirt on and no one complains. Janet Jackson’s nipple comes out to play and she still hasn’t been forgiven for it.
How do we, as members of our communities, contribute to a society in which nudity can be used against a woman? Like it’s something she should be ashamed of.
Is it in the way we raise our daughters? Is it in the way we prize virginity – as though it’s a moral achievement, something that we had to work at instead of something we are all born with?
The real issue here is that for Jennifer Lawrence and all the others, their privacy was violated. THAT is the scandal. The problem is that had their privacy been violated by the illegal acquisition and subsequent publication of photos that showed them reading, or eating, or playing tennis, it would not have been as big of a deal. You would have shrugged. The internet would have shrugged. Hardly a scandal.
Will female nudity always be scandalous? If we keep insisting that it is, are we tacitly agreeing that women shouldn’t be naked and, therefore, if they are, if we are, we’re doing something wrong?
I’m not sure if it’s reassuring that Jennifer Lawrence and the other women who were targeted have so far been met with support. I’m not sure it should matter that their careers and reputations will not be affected. Damage control only implies that this is the kind of situation that could and should cause damage.
