San Diego native Kevin Bollaert was recently sentenced to 18 years in prison. What for? Revenge porn, obviously.
He operated two websites. One was called ugotposted.com, which allowed individuals to post nude photos without consent from the subject whose personal information was listed alongside the photo. The victims tried to save their dignity by going on ?changemyreputation.com and paying up to $350 in order to take down their photo.
Job loss, destroyed relationships and one attempted suicide occurred in the wake of nude photos appearing on the Internet.At Bollaert’s conviction, he shed a few tears. We already predict Netflix will do a spinoff on “Orange is the New Black.” Just wait till Bollaert tells his prison mates he’s in the big house for revenge porn! It’s too juicy not to watch.
Looking at the bigger picture — or 36DDs — the idea of revenge porn and how these nude photos come to surface is an interesting thing to consider.
According to Fusion, 32 percent of millennials have sexted before, but only 22 percent have sent a nude pic.
So what does that 10 percent think sexting is? Sending a scandalous tan line photo? Seductively using the eggplant emoji?
The Editorial Board realizes sexting isn’t going to stop anytime soon. We believe it’s necessary to clarify what a sext is and how to successfully do it without ruining your reputation or ending up on a revenge porn website.
The No. 1 rule: Don’t show your face.
This is a biggie, and without it you could be screwed by your employer, future husband and, of course, your mom. The last thing you want is a dick pic to come up in a Google search right alongside your LinkedIn profile.
Secondly, we suggest if you’re going to send a nude pic to your secret lover, know something about them! Who cares what it is — an address, social security number, or the contents under his or her mattress. It’s all valuable information if and when your picture gets leaked.
Also, it’s imperative to realize once you send a picture of yourself to someone else, that picture is no longer yours. For all you know, one day that selfie of you in your bathroom mirror could become a pocket-sized printout in your psycho serial killer’s wallet.
In order to level the playing field, make sure you have naked pictures of the person you’re sending the naked picture to. Nude photos are like ammo — if you want to have game, you need to be able to hit the target back.
There’s also a gendered aspect to sexts. Nobody wants to see down under a man’s rock hard abs — or more likely, beer belly — yet the National Anthem might as well be “Tits Out For The Boys!”
People get angry when women readily choose to put their bodies on the web. But it’s a form of mass consumption; although women are criticized for this, people are also like, “titties, tho.”
Similarly, the general public doesn’t help the problem.
When nude photos are leaked on campus, people’s responses are normal and sympathetic toward ?the victim. But once people are behind closed doors, they still go on their phones because they want to see those boobies.
Lastly, beware of the Snapchat screenshot. People are agile these days, and even if you send a one-second snap of you without your clothes on, it’s more than likely to be snagged and put on the recipient’s camera roll. These are times of self-expression, but don’t let nudes ruin your future. Being anonymous is key.
You don’t need to save your face if it’s not in the picture.
