The most recent leak of celebrity nude photos on the Internet has involved some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence. On Sunday, August 31, hundreds of stolen nude photos of female actors, models, singers and athletes went viral, causing their friends and colleagues to rally for them on social media.
Lena Dunham of the HBO TV show Girls was vocal on Twitter about showing support for Lawrence and the other female stars by not clicking on the supposed nude photos of them. “Remember, when you look at these pictures you are violating these women again and again. It’s not okay,” was part of a series of tweets she posted on the matter. She called the perpetrator of the leaks a “sex offender” and bashed the argument that the women shouldn’t have taken the photos in the first place.
Is Apple’s iCloud safe after leak of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities’ nude photos? http://t.co/kV1aei7J5o pic.twitter.com/AdURIiR7U4
— The Independent (@Independent) September 1, 2014
“The ‘don’t take naked pics if you don’t want them online’ argument is the ‘she was wearing a short skirt’ of the web. Ugh,” Dunham tweeted.
The way in which you share your body must be a CHOICE. Support these women and do not look at these pictures.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 1, 2014
Remember, when you look at these pictures you are violating these women again and again. It’s not okay.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 1, 2014
Seriously, do not forget that the person who stole these pictures and leaked them is not a hacker: they’re a sex offender.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 1, 2014
The “don’t take naked pics if you don’t want them online” argument is the “she was wearing a short skirt” of the web. Ugh.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 1, 2014
Meanwhile, Harry Potter star Emma Watson also expressed sympathy for her friend Lawrence’s plight, posting a comment on Twitter on September 1. “Even worse than seeing women’s privacy violated on social media is reading the accompanying comments that show such a lack of empathy,” she tweeted.
Even worse than seeing women’s privacy violated on social media is reading the accompanying comments that show such a lack of empathy.
— Emma Watson (@EmWatson) September 1, 2014
The incident has sparked discussion on whether it’s possible for people not to click on the sensitive material that abounds on the Internet. Similar calls not to click were made by relatives of James Foley, the American journalist whose beheading by extremist group ISIS was filmed and posted online. Supposedly, clicking on these types of sensitive content violates the privacy or dignity of the people they are about.
One person who is apparently not fazed by the issue is singer Ariana Grande, who simply denied that the nude photos of her were real and even tried to promote her tour in a single tweet. She tweeted on Monday, “to every1 going on about my ‘nudes’ & my ‘m&g prices’ neither are real! my lil ass is a lot cuter than that lmao & tour details r comin soon.”
to every1 going on about my “nudes” & my “m&g prices” neither are real! my lil ass is a lot cuter than that lmao & tour details r comin soon
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) September 2, 2014