This post needs to start out with a confession, and an apology.
Yesterday I ran across a link that supposedly had images of nude celebrities – files taken without their knowledge – that were on their cell phones.
I clicked.
Like other people, I lied to myself and told myself that I was doing so just because I was curious. Or that I wanted to see if it was real.
It actually took me a few images until I realized that I was just being a douche-bag. These were images that I was never meant to see. I, more than most people, should know the difference.
As a photographer, I sometimes take images of people that are nude or semi-nude. I take a lot of precautions to make sure that their images are protected, and that no one sees their images without their express permission. You might notice that there aren’t a lot of nude images on my website or my photography blog.
There is a reason for that.
Because a lot of people don’t want their nude images online.
When Erin Andrews’ privacy was invaded, I made a point of it to avoid the images that had leaked to the web. I thought of myself as being mature for doing that. When in truth, I was just doing what I should be doing.
Some asshole invaded the privacy of these people. They did so purposefully, and with the voyeurism of a 13 year old boy who’s seen boobies for the first time.
And even if no one else had looked the images, the damage had already been done. But by being one of the people who clicked, I made it worse. I invaded their privacy. I joined in.
There’s a ton of reasons why people take nude images of themselves, ranging from simple vanity to self-affirment. Its similar to the reasons that we look in the mirror after a shower on our better days, and occasionally think, “Damn… I look good”
Just as you would be shocked and angry to find out that someone was hiding a camera behind your mirror in such a circumstance, its completely understood why the people who’s images were stolen are angry.
I can’t apologize enough. The best I can do is promise not to click the next time.