'Leaked' celebrity nudes and their relationship to sexual violence

My reaction to the news that a celebrity's nude photos had been 'leaked' was one of exhaustion. I'm sick and tired of people obsessing over women's naked bodies. 

But the last few days* since some nude photos that a woman took of herself have 'leaked' have raised some very troubling issues. 

First is the fundamental issue that most people are unable to see this for what it is. It's sexual harassment. Naked images of someone have been obtained and made public, to be seen by millions, without their consent. Needless to say, the link to the website carrying these images has been shared and re-shared countless times already. Some might think that once the images are online and publicly available, they are fair game and others who view and share them are blameless. This is the the-people-who-did-the-hacking-and-actually-got-and-shared-the-photos-are-the-criminals-and-not-us logic. But the fact is these people are accessories to a crime. 

If this were to happen to anyone other than a celebrity- or specifically, someone other than a film or TV personality- I would hate to think that this many people would partake in the enjoyment derived from looking at the naked body of a woman (or, think about it, a child) without the woman's permission. I recognise the tragic reality that many would. But I suspect the number would be fewer than the number currently engaging in this reprehensible behaviour. What is it that makes a celebrity different? Being in the public eye doesn't mean the person is not entitled to privacy. Even if the person had previously presented as fully naked in a film or television show or made previous decisions to publicly share naked photos of themselves, it does not give us the right to assume that by doing so they have given us permission to freely view other naked images of theirs. 

Just like when a woman agrees to have sex with you once it doesn't mean she has automatically consented to having sex with you on every other occasion. 

Unfortunately the parallels between the public response to illegally obtained images of female celebrities and other types of sexual assault- including rape and sexual intimidation- doesn't end there. 

Consider the dangerous and absolutely idiotic argument doing the rounds that "if she didn't want the photos to be shared then she shouldn't have taken a nude selfie in the first place." This is exactly the same kind of victim-blaming, twisted logic that, when a woman is raped or sexually assaulted in any other way, concludes that she shouldn't have been wearing that/ doing that/ drinking like that/ any-other-prohibition-that-sexual-assault-survivors-should-have-imposed-on-themselves-to-allegedly-prevent-the-assault-from-happening. 

The fact is that taking photos of yourself naked is not a crime. 

Illegally obtaining and sharing naked photos of other people is. 

Just like drinking or wearing tight clothing is not a crime. 

Rape is. 

The second similarity is that the issue here is not about looking at a naked woman. You don't have a to try too hard to find consensually obtained nude images online. This includes pornography (which is not blameless in perpetuating a culture of misogyny and violence against women) and celebrities who are quite happy to share nude photos with their followers/fans on social media. So why do people get so excited when a naked photo is 'leaked'? The logical conclusion is that the lack of permission adds the extra thrill. You have got something that the other person did not want to give you and that you would not have got by any other means at this time. In what other situation is the absence of consent the distinguishing feature? Oh yes, rape. And other forms of sexual assault. Most intelligent people know that rape is not about having sex. Or sexual pleasure. It's about power and coercion. It's about the perpetrator (i.e. 'P') making a violent statement that the other person's body is their (i.e. 'P''s) property and 'P' can do what 'P' wants with it without ask for permission to do so. 

The third parallel that I draw pertains to the idea that Jennifer Lawrence (and the others who have been affected by similar 'leakages') should be embarrassed or shamed by this. Er, what? I cannot help but relate this directly to situations where women are made to feel ashamed about their bodies, their sexuality and even the fact that they are the victims of a sexual assault. Victim shaming is as bad victim blaming and just as prevalent. Part of the reason for this is the fact that we live in a world that sexualises the bodies of women and girls to a ridiculous degree even as it attempts to stifle and restrict female sexuality. Across the world, from a very early age girls are made to feel overly conscious of their bodies as something to be 'covered up', 'hidden', 'embarrassed about' or 'careful with'. So if someone ogles Jennifer Lawrence's nudity or Kate Middleton's breasts, it is these women who are expected to feel embarrassed and ashamed as if there is something inherently shameful about a naked female breast or butt. 

It's not the victim but the perpetrator who should be ashamed of their choices and behaviours. Whether it's the rapist or the person who illegally obtains and circulates naked photos of people without their consent. 

*I started putting these thoughts down a few days after the photos went viral. Between then and now, Jennifer Lawrence has shared her own thoughts on the matter and rightly, places all of the shame entirely on the people who viewed the images. 

The fact that she has done so in a magazine article for Vanity Fair, on the cover of which she is posing topless in a pool of water holding a parakeet has been regarded by some as hypocrisy. 

I actually think it's as clear an example as you'll ever get of the crucial ingredient that makes the two scenarios very different - Consent.