Thursday, September 4, 2014

Celebrity Nude photos leaked-scandal or a sign of things to er, come?

By now you must've heard about (and tried looking for) nude photos of celebrities like Kate Upton and Jennifer Lawrence that were leaked onto the internet. Apparently the FBI is getting involved as this invasion of privacy affects more than just the victims of the hacking, but it affects the security and privacy of us all. After all, if the elite and wealthy aren't safe, who is...? Or perhaps that's exactly why they're not safe? Being in the limelight certainly makes people into targets in our reality-obsessed, voyeuristic society.

But the media response to the situation is what has caused me to blog. The question being raised is, who is to blame, victims or hackers? And then there's the judgements surrounding these women (although there are penis pics too, yes, I've actually seen them)...

Let's start with the question about who is to blame. Is it the celebrity female's FAULT for taking graphic nude photos (or allowing themselves to be photographed, they are not all selfies), knowing that they could POTENTIALLY be exposed? I personally don't think they should be blamed, but I definitely understand the risks myself when I shoot ahem, "personal" pics ... does that mean I deserve to have private photos plastered all over the internet should they be accidentally sent to the wrong person (almost happened..), or somehow obtained by hackers...? Or should what I choose to do with my body and my intimate life be protected from the eyes of everyone else in the world that doesn't have my permission to see them?!! Such a tough concept I know, but I'm leaning more toward the latter. Whether you think these women are being inappropriate by taking *gasp* naked photos or not, does it really mean that they deserve the potential shame and embarrassment from them being shared with the world?

Here comes the judgment... I'll repeat, "Shame and embarrassment..."

Should they not have taken these photos in the first place? I'm sure many men and women (okay maybe mostly women) would say that they would never have these kind of pictures in their phone. Unfortunately sex and nudity are both synonymous with lewd in our culture... It's a fact that saddens me daily. What adult people choose (there's that word again) to do with their bodies and consensually share with another person or persons, shouldn't not only be acceptable, it should be celebrated. Not shamed, not judged, not ridiculed (aka bullying), but rather, our freedom to choose what to do and share should be honored and respected.

Thanks to arguments on both sides of the debate on the threads of JustJared.com and huffingtonpost.com, I have been thoroughly entertained.

Does knowing that our privacy isn't safe make you less inclined to snap that sexy selfie? Or does the fact that yes, you're not the only one doing it, make you feel more empowered to point and shoot? Will this security breach change the way we sext in the future? I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

3 comments:

Efe Ozenc said...

I mainly agree with your statements and justifications and think in the same way as a primary fact. But I also want to ask some questions to a true prudent celebrity like you madam: Does the presence of such kind of a threat of exposure and leak makes all these 'stuff' even more joyful and arousing for the celebrities; as with their glamourous lives, they mainly are living on the edges, and many of them regularly show symptoms of a borderline life style due to how much their lives became routine and vicious and boring after a while? (Remember late Robin Williams R.I.P) Is this how they compensate a generally goalless life at such young ages, after they enter into such world that gains them loads of earnings and reputation, and demands many tributes and sacrifices in exchange, such as addictions, scandalous lives, isolation from audience, etc.? Are they just simple humans inside, who eventually became hedonistic after a certain amount of time as a reflection of so much attention and money, or do they carry another mission of putting a distance between their 'mandatorily mysterious' and hidden lives which only can be seen in upscale places or in cinemas or screens and the lives of common people, or are we the ones who load such burden/mission to their shoulders? As another fact, why does it always have to be about sex/porn? Not for us, for them; why so many of their scandals are related to sex and drugs and alcohol, but not tax evasion, fraud, counterfeit press, etc.? So, do such people lose themselves within the limitless and infinite nature of erotica and sexuality more than us, mainly due to the reasons I've stated above? Is sexuality became and remain the sole pleasure in their lives, and became a vulgar and worthless/cheap toy/habit, which drives them to new and pervert, deviant and even heretical experiments and quests, like homosexuality, bdsm, etc. I know that these 'choices' are not pervert or deviant at all normally, but in their case, they became like one, I think, with the permanent assistance of drugs and alcohol, of course; and they call it 'a journey in yourself' to make it more innocent. To conclude, is such kind of a behavior reflects the true price of fame? Because unlike you madam, not so many celebrities can endure against this fact...

Miyoko said...

Thanks for the contemplative post Efe! There are a few questions in there, so I'll try to hit them all. First, I am sure that exhibitionism plays a role in anyone's "private" photo sharing. Be they celebrity or not, there can be tremendous pleasure derived from being "watched." Are they "just simple humans?" I don't believe there is such a thing. I don't believe humans are simple at all, but rather are beautiful complex creatures. But I don't think celebrities are much different at the core than many of us. They may become conditioned to being treated differently, and having different lives, but you could say the some of many other people... we adapt, sometime for the best, sometimes for the worst. "Always a scandal about sex/porn?" I think that's partially what the media focuses on, but you also mentioned other vices, so I think you answered that one on your own :) To ask if sexuality becomes and remains the sole pleasure in their lives is a whole long discussion... But consider this, if we didn't have television, video games, the internet, etc to keep us busy and entertained outside of work, what would you do with your time? I know sex is on the top of my list! ha ha!

Efe Ozenc said...

"But consider this, if we didn't have television, video games, the internet, etc to keep us busy and entertained outside of work, what would you do with your time? I know sex is on the top of my list! ha ha!" Well, I definitely thank for all the answers and kind enthusiasm, I find them very illuminating and enjoying; but for this citation, I believe that at such ages, the birth control and venereal disease-preventing methods also would be very primitive most likely :) so I would prefer wandering, examining and reading above all, but I definitely got your points; and lastly, I want to explain that I had referred to the regulars, non-celebrities by saying 'just simple humans', I didn't want to degrade anyone or anything in anyone's life, I just want to make it clear once and for all :) Thanks again for the discussion and this opportunity madam, take care :)