When I was reading the Sex and Health opinion column this Wednesday, I was pleased that there was a discussion about the recently leaked nudes of Jennifer Lawrence and how it was a trend that female celebrities were having their privacy invaded by the masses. I was not pleased by the opinion of the columnist that women shouldn’t take nudes because it’s going to get leaked and it’s their fault.

This rhetoric sounds way too familiar to me. Because Lawrence took pictures for her boyfriend who she was in a committed relationship with for four years, we should shame her for taking control of her sexuality? What about the boyfriend? I usually find that when nude pictures are being shared, it’s a mutual deal. My question is: Why don’t we have headlines blaring about a nude sent to Lawrence and how shameful it is for the guy to have those leaked? The answer: His weren’t leaked because he wouldn’t suffer the shame and “Can you believe that slut?” kind of questioning that Lawrence now faces.

Men can send nudes to girls (or guys) without any negative repercussions to their reputations other than “that’s small” because their bodies aren’t policed the same way women’s are. Women are objects and the moment something like this happens, they are blamed for putting themselves in this position for taking the photo in the first place. Why can’t women reclaim their body image and share it with whom they want? It’s nobody else’s business about what a woman does to express her sexuality, and having a column encouraging this shaming behavior is harmful to everyone.

Victim blaming is not the way to go here. We need to shame the hackers and leakers who betray the privacy and trust of women who share these photos. We need to shame the men who release these photos, regardless of whether she’s famous. We need to advocate and support privacy policies for social networks and better support groups for the victims of this crime. Stop saying that it’s up to Lawrence and everyone like her to stop this from happening. Start revealing the truth: These hackers are criminals and need to be treated as such.

Morgan Dudzinski
Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Class of 2017