For the past month, the Internet has been buzzing over a fresh scandal.
Hundreds of nude photos of female celebrities — reality TV starlets, Academy Award winners, pop singers, supermodels, and a few champion athletes — have been leaked online.
The leaked images are private, personal photos that were stolen from these women's accounts. These photos were never intended to be shared in public.
These celebs are victims of a sinister cyber attack. Someone — authorities still aren’t sure who — wanted to shame and humiliate these women by exposing their bodies without consent.
More photos keep coming out, practically every day. And of course… the gossip blogs and Facebook threads are fired up with commentary.
I’ve been watching the commentary from the sidelines, and I’ve seen responses ranging from…
“This is an outrage. I hope those hackers get prosecuted and pay for what they’ve done.”
All the way to…
“Serves those women right. Only a slut would take a naked photo of herself, anyway.”
I spotted one Facebook comment that said:
”Nude selfies do not make you empowered. It makes you a skank."
Ahem.
Warning: Flaming Hot Hyatt Rant, just ahead…
If you are a grown woman… and you love your body… and embrace your sexuality… and want to capture an intimate moment on camera for yourself, or for someone you love…
Sister-friend, you are the farthest thing from a skank, slut or harlot.
You are my HERO.
The world needs more women who are willing to talk openly about sex.
The world needs more women who know what they want — and demand it.
The world needs more women who are turned on, fully expressed, and unapologetic.
What the world does NOT need are creepy hackers who violate women’s privacy — or cruel Internet commenters who try to shame women for having the NERVE to (gasp!) be sexual beings.
“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller.
We say to girls, 'You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise you will threaten the man.'
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.”
—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at a TEDxEuston conference
Enough.
Women? Be sexy. Be sexual. Be expressive. HAVE SEX. Lots of it. Treat your body with love and respect and, if the spirit moves you, take a nude selfie for yourself… or for someone you love. Heck, take hundreds.You have NOTHING to be ashamed of.
And anyone who tells you otherwise…
Oughta be ashamed of themselves.
Rant = Complete.
(OK. Back to taking nude selfies for my husband. Because I’m a grrrrrrown woman. And I can do whatever I want. 😉
xo.
Susan
PS. This song… WHOA. It’s my anthem. Keep the conversation going at Facebook.
