Was it prudent of Jennifer Lawrence to take pictures of herself nude in the first place? Y/N?

[Skin]

When you enter a profession career, where you are able to advertise yourself, what is the very first step you take? Damage control. You go and deleted stupid photos you took, stupid comments you made, etc and try to seperate what you are trying to present from whatever else you have going on. How much you can clear depends on how deep you want to go and how much you want to clear.

And still, despite all this, it can come back and bite you in the ass.

See, no one tells you when you are young not to do things that can jeopardize you later in life and to be fair, it has only really been the past 15-20 years where social media and file sharing have become prolific enough to implicate you down the line.

Like I said, there is a good lesson to be learnt here. Don't do stupid things that can come back to bite you. Don't create skeletons for your closet.

There have been hacking more disturbing and far more destructive than this, it is only because it is celebrities are involved that it has come into the limelight. Please take this as a lesson.

 

[TransGamer]

I am not victim blaming here.

You are. Famous or not, there is a boundary between private and public life. This was one of them. It's not her fault that something she intended to share with someone else personally was then stolen and distributed publicly.

 

[hazabaza1]

Taking the pictures themselves shouldn't have been an issue, she's an adult using an object she owns to do something that doesn't harm anybody. What this whole thing brings attention to is just how little any concept of "security" matters on the internet.
Surprise surprise, everything on here can be found. It probably wouldn't even take too much time if somebody knew what they were doing and really wanted to find something specific. So right now, it's the case that if you don't want something found, make sure that it's never going anywhere near the internet.

Should it be this way? Course not. But it is, and hopefully people will be more aware now.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Here, let me tell you my response in image form:

[img=https://38.media.tumblr.com/23bada4f7d151707df3ad8e889940159/tumblr_nbaxr1Gvcg1qel5vuo1_500.png]https://38.media.tumblr.com/23bada4f7d151707df3ad8e889940159/tumblr_nbaxr1Gvcg1qel5vuo1_500.png[/img]

Now stop.

That seems rather naive to be honest, what both people in that cartoon are saying (at least in the first panel, they're both wrong in the second and third panels) doesn't conflict with eachother. The hackers are definitely, definitely in the wrong, but that doesn't mean that the celebrities haven't been pretty foolish. Not everyone is nice, if you act like everyone is then you're open to getting fucked over, it's not a question of whether or not you deserve it.

 

[OneCatch]

The comparative would be owning very valuable stuff, very desirable stuff to a very large group of people (i.e naked or compromising pics of yourself) and then keeping your very valuable stuff stored in a glass box with the words smash here for access printed on the side (i.e storing those pics on a source that can be accessed by ANYONE through the internet.

No, that would be a suitable analogy to her posting them on a public facebook profile with along with download links.

A comparative would be depositing the valuables in a bank or safety deposit box on the assurance of it's owner, and then some fucker coming in and breaking it open. For which I don't think anyone would dispute that the moral responsibility law with the thief, and arguably with the owner if they were lax.

 

[otakon17]

I am not victim blaming here.

Except you're going to do just that:

I simply feel that if she should not have taken compromising pictures of herself in the first place.

You're sending a lot of mixed messages here, at one point you're condemning those people for saying the exact same thing you said at the end of your post:

And to all those that downloaded said pictures and use "Well she shouldn't have taken them in the first place.", fuck off that's not the point of the argument to justify your invasion of a woman's privacy.

What a person does on their phone is their own business, whether it's sending messages, sending nude photos to someone else, or something else not illegal or dangerous to the public, full stop. Breaching that privacy is wrong, regardless of whether the person is a public figure or not.

To the last point, yeah it is wrong. I said as much in my first post so why are you reiterating? If it was something concerning an illegal matter or lives were on the line or some other kind of extenuating circumstance then it's different. This is not any of those things. I thought I made that clear.

As for my condemning, it's people using this statement to condone their actions. This is not a statement that condones this kind of thing and I am NOT condoning the actions of the thief or the downloaders of the photographs. But I still feel that if you don't take nude pictures of yourself, period, there is little chance of the possibly incriminating material getting out into the world.

I am not saying she does not deserve sympathy and I am not okay with this whole series of events. I am only saying that she did not think through of possibility of this happening. She's an actress, a public figure. She is more or less scrutinized and watched 24/7 by the zealous and obsessed. You have to be extra careful when you're in that kind of spotlight.

I can hear the counter argument now of "Well then no one should do anything for the possibility of being struck by lightning/mugged/have an airplane toilet fall on them." That doesn't really apply in the case where you perform actions that can potentially embarrass you.

My point was: saying you're not victim blaming and then doing it in the same post is confusingly contradictory. There are no mitigations here: taking private photos and posting them publicly is wrong, full stop. Nothing else needs to be said.

If a person went out for a walk and a car struck them down, would you say they should've known some cars might drive on the sidewalk and shouldn't have gone out? It's ridiculous.

I'm not saying it ISN'T WRONG TO DO WHAT THE PERPETRATORS DID. It's VERY wrong and horrid. I am only saying she should have taken more precautions to prevent this and the chiefest of them would be that she had not taken the photos in the first place. How do you avoid having a kid? Many ways but the most foolproof is don't have sexual relations with the opposite sex at all. How do you avoid having naked pictures of you put on the internet? Don't have any taken at all in the first place. That's my point in this discussion,

I am not victim blaming here.

You are. Famous or not, there is a boundary between private and public life. This was one of them. It's not her fault that something she intended to share with someone else personally was then stolen and distributed publicly.

No it's not and I said that as much, it isn't her fault it got stolen and put out on the web for all to see but that is an inherent risk nowadays putting ANYTHING out digitally, famous or not. The key issue I bring up is why she wanted to take the pictures in the first place. She couldn't have sent him a sext? Called him? Maybe shown up in person and gave him her affection? She chose to put pictures of herself out there(there in the sense of over the cell phone network and outside her personal possession to her significant other) with the possibility that they'd be found by a third party, REGARDLESS of her social status as a celebrity.

Every time ANYONE does something like that, they open themselves to risk which is why I say: don't do it.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I swear stuff like this is one of the only times the usual brigade don't blame criminals. On the one hand, taking the photographs was perhaps not the most savvy move (unless she can pull a Marilyn) but the fact remains that someone hacked a (allegedly) secure data repository and stole these images. So the blame pretty squarely lays with the criminal hacker, and Apple for apparently not doing better than the IT equivalent of a bike chain around their services.

 

[shootthebandit]

I think these leaked images are part of a few deeper rooted issues in our society. The first issue is that we put celebrities on these pedestals so when we see them naked its a big deal. Ive seen the pictures (feel free to judge me) and yes she is attractive in the pictures but is she any more attractive than a girl off the street? No. The pictures are only sought after because of her status.

The second issue is on a similar note and its that our media will put people on pedestals just to make them fall (or in most cases push them). The public then feels better because someone in a position of power (which the media created) has been exposed (cleverly by the same media)

The third issue is how we deal with sex. Sex is something which we feel is taboo and not to be discussed. Its fairly obvious when we have a load of movies packed with guns and violence during normal TV hours but anything remotely sexual is usually put on really late. The fact that violence is more acceptable then sex is unbelievable. Sex is something which we should not be ashamed about and the fact we taboo sex or are simply afraid to discuss it is inherently wrong. It leads to rape cultures, homophobia and ignorance. This taboo just creates a lot more interest in images like this and it creates an attitude where she is shamed for these pictures

She is most certainly not to blame and she should not be made to feel ashamed. Not just her but anyone who is betrayed by a partner and has sexual images published online should not be made to feel ashamed either

 

[otakon17]

Here, let me tell you my response in image form:

[img=https://38.media.tumblr.com/23bada4f7d151707df3ad8e889940159/tumblr_nbaxr1Gvcg1qel5vuo1_500.png]https://38.media.tumblr.com/23bada4f7d151707df3ad8e889940159/tumblr_nbaxr1Gvcg1qel5vuo1_500.png[/img]

Now stop.

I am not saying this. The point of the matter I've been saying is be more careful, regardless of your social standing.

No, I don't agree.
Once again internet's disturbing lack of empathy is disturbing.

If someone steals something from you, you wouldn't go `Oh well I guess I shouldn't own shit, do you?

BUT the people who do feel she is some way responsible for this aren't going to change their minds about it, I am pretty certain.

This was a serious invasion of privacy, this shouldn't be a question of what Lawrence should or shouldn't have done.

Yeah.

This kinda reminds me of you know how if women are too cautious around men then they're being horrible generalising bitches but then if something does happen to them it's cause they weren't cautious enough.

You can never be a perfect victim.

I'm not being apathetic, it sucks. It's fucked up and wrong what has happened here and that there are people cheering it on. The only point I am making is that if she hadn't taken pictures of herself nude there would have been nothing to leak. She is STILL a victim, this is STILL an invasion of privacy and the people who did this and are downloading them ARE scum. But she could have taken steps to prevent something like this happening is the only point I'm saying and the one that would work best is: don't do it in the first place.

 

[otakon17]

My god, of course I disagree, she's a grown woman and it's her body and she can do whatever the hell she wants to with it. She's a person still, you know. In fact the same with all the women who got their photos stolen from them. They can take pictures of themselves all they like. It's their choice and not one anyone should make for them.

No, I don't agree.
Once again internet's disturbing lack of empathy is disturbing.

If someone steals something from you, you wouldn't go `Oh well I guess I shouldn't own shit, do you?

BUT the people who do feel she is some way responsible for this aren't going to change their minds about it, I am pretty certain.

This was a serious invasion of privacy, this shouldn't be a question of what Lawrence should or shouldn't have done.

Hell should she or shouldn't she shouldn't even be a question!

What she does is her own business and no one else unless she wants it to be, this is a concrete fact. But that wasn't the point of the topic: the point was, was it prudent to upload photographs of oneself nude onto the "network" as it were to another party, knowing said parties phone could be stolen/hacked or your own stolen/hacked? I don't think it was prudent of her to do so is the only point I am making.

I am not blaming her, she is not at fault for having them stolen and she did not deserve or invite it in any way shape or form. The only fault on her part is taking them in the first place and trusting they'd be safely secured out there on the network.

 

[Erttheking]

She isn't responsible. Pure and simple, black and white. She does what she wants with her body, no one has any right to take those photos.

 

[Phasmal]

I'm not being apathetic, it sucks. It's fucked up and wrong what has happened here and that there are people cheering it on. The only point I am making is that if she hadn't taken pictures of herself nude there would have been nothing to leak. She is STILL a victim, this is STILL an invasion of privacy and the people who did this and are downloading them ARE scum. But she could have taken steps to prevent something like this happening is the only point I'm saying and the one that would work best is: don't do it in the first place.

This is only as useful as saying you will not get your bike stolen if you do not own a bike.

In that... it's not useful at all.

And you say you're empathetic, and cool, fine, you are.
But why is there ALWAYS a topic like this whenever something like this happens?
Why do people feel the need to put partial blame (or `responsibility`) on the person who had their privacy invaded?

 

[TransGamer]

Every time ANYONE does something like that, they open themselves to risk which is why I say: don't do it.

Invoking a bit of a fallacy here but I'm doing it for rhetorical effect. All things involve risk. Shall I avoid doing all things?

Saying that because there is a risk, someone shouldn't dare to be intimate or flirty with someone is silly. You're saying that because someone might commit a crime against them, they shouldn't engage in a very real, human behavior.

 

[otakon17]

I'm not being apathetic, it sucks. It's fucked up and wrong what has happened here and that there are people cheering it on. The only point I am making is that if she hadn't taken pictures of herself nude there would have been nothing to leak. She is STILL a victim, this is STILL an invasion of privacy and the people who did this and are downloading them ARE scum. But she could have taken steps to prevent something like this happening is the only point I'm saying and the one that would work best is: don't do it in the first place.

This is only as useful as saying you will not get your bike stolen if you do not own a bike.

In that... it's not useful at all.

And you say you're empathetic, and cool, fine, you are.
But why is there ALWAYS a topic like this whenever something like this happens?
Why do people feel the need to put partial blame (or `responsibility`) on the person who had their privacy invaded?

Owning a bike is not a societal taboo and is NOT inviting anyone to steal it. You don't INVITE anyone to take something from you unless you actually do so or are foolish to the extreme with it. Nakedness and sexuality however is and even the act of just putting it out "there" is a massive risk. This is more along the lines of throwing out your personalized porn stash improperly and someone taking it for themselves afterwards and sharing it with their scum buddies. It's dirty laundry that wasn't properly handled. Doesn't mean they deserved it to happen however.

Every time ANYONE does something like that, they open themselves to risk which is why I say: don't do it.

Invoking a bit of a fallacy here but I'm doing it for rhetorical effect. All things involve risk. Shall I avoid doing all things?

Saying that because there is a risk, someone shouldn't dare to be intimate or flirty with someone is silly. You're saying that because someone might commit a crime against them, they shouldn't engage in a very real, human behavior.

There were other ways. Like sending them a sext. Or calling them on the phone. Or meeting with them in person for naughty times with the shades lowered and the curtains closed. All things involve risk and some things are more risky than others. The risk of exposure in this case outweighs the satisfaction of a successful flirt, to me anyway. Hindsight is 20/20 and all and it most definitely was not worth it at this point.

 

[And Man]

Why is Jennifer Lawrence the focus of all of this? Weren't there like 50 or so other celebrities that had nudes leaked?

 

[Phasmal]

Owning a bike is not a societal taboo and is NOT inviting anyone to steal it. You don't INVITE anyone to take something from you unless you actually do so or are foolish to the extreme with it. Nakedness and sexuality however is and even the act of just putting it out "there" is a massive risk. This is more along the lines of throwing out your personalized porn stash improperly and someone taking it for themselves afterwards and sharing it with their scum buddies. It's dirty laundry that wasn't properly handled. Doesn't mean they deserved it to happen however.

So apparently an image of someone naked is `inviting` people to hack it and you pretty much threw it out to people?

Ew. Dude I think I'm done talking about this.

Said way back in my first post, you're not gonna change your mind about it.

 

[Kroxile]

Don't want nudes of yourself put on the internet? Don't take them. I have never taken a nude of myself so I don't see how hard it is for other people to not do the same.

I disagree, however, because she is damn fine

 

[sneakypenguin]

She's fine to take them but naive to not control them better.

Its like having a nice car parking in the hood and leaving the top down with the keys in the seat, its gonna get stolen. I'm personally fine with some measure of victim blaming when something is so obviously avoidable.
There's so many things in life that aren't our fault but have such easy solutions that criticism can be assigned when we don't take basic precautions. In regards to jlaw she could store them locally, use some sort of encryption theres so many options that are easy to use other than upload them to a vulnerable cloud account with known exploits.

We should have a reasonable expectation of privacy/not to have stuff taken but at the same time we know people will take them so at least don't leave the front door unlocked for them.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I think its kind of stupid to believe in this day and age that if you put anything remotely sensitive like say nude pictures of oneself on the internet that it will be any kinds of secure or safe. Now multiply the stupidity and head-in-sand nature of that by about 20 if the person in question is a celebrity.
Yeah she's got a right to be mad, but some of that should be also directed at herself for leaving those pics online. There is no promise of security online that holds any weight, and blame Apple or whoever else all you want but the real honest to god fault is putting those pics out there in the first place. Keep 'em on your home PC or whatever, somewhere that isn't connected.
Sorry, its not victim blaming, its honest to god truth. You don't have common sense/contemporary wisdom or choose to ignore it then the consequences are what they are.

 

[carnex]

I think it her own god damn business. She wanted to take nude pictures of herself? Or sex pictures? Or whatever pictures that are not law breaking? It her own business.

That said, it's today's reality that once you take them they are at serious risk of being exposed to outer world.Just like I said with every other case, if you expose yourself to risk there is a greater chance that the trouble will find you. Is it her fault? No, she didn't spread them, someone violated her privacy. But, at the same time pictures wouldn't be stolen if they didn't exist in the first place.

In other words, think before you do some things. It can save you a lot of pain even if your actions are totally benign on the surface.