This isn’t a blog about Clay Aiken, though he did make a statement to the Washington Post that bares (er sorry, bears) repeating: “Anybody who takes inappropriate pictures of themselves deserves exactly what they get.” Nude pics are just plain stupid as they’re likely to show up in the strangest places – like the internet!
In the latest celebrity “news,” Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Upton, Kaley Cuoco, Kim Kardashian, Meagan Good, Vanessa Hudgens and Gabrielle Union have all fallen “victim” to leaked, nude pictures of themselves.
Naturally, the attorneys, public relations people, gossip columnists and many adoring fans are rushing to defend the women. However, I must say it is difficult for me to begin to rush into an ethical defense of these poor, innocent souls whose privacy has been compromised.
Nothing is private
If there is any positive news with this story, it is that this is a teachable moment for parents and guardians of teenaged (and older) children, either female or male. There is nothing private in this age of social media. Any type of inappropriate picture can make it to the internet; anything digital has the capacity to go viral.
In a more benign version of this teachable moment are pictures posted on Facebook. I can’t tell you how many inappropriate “party” pictures have prevented otherwise good candidates from getting the jobs they desired. Potential employers can – and will – use the social media to glean information. There have also been many images of athletes at parties either drinking or smoking marijuana that put huge dents in their reputations.
Many vulnerable teens, seemingly (or telling us they are) wise to the ways of the world, have posed for what they consider “seductive” or playful nude pictures only to have these pictures come right around and blow up their entire worlds. Many relationships for these kids last for a moment but out of spite or hate or jealousy, those that have taken the pictures create embarrassment and shame that can last for years. It is a terrible and crushing pain.
Nothing is private, but –
If nothing else, think of each of the women I listed above as an industry or a corporation. Kate Upton or Kaley Cuoco or Vanessa Hudgens are companies. They have lawyers, agents, publicists, social media people, webmasters, trainers, advisors, drivers, security, make-up people, assistants and secretaries to handle the myriad of detail that comes with stardom.
These are not stupid people and they are very wise in the ways of helping their clients stay at the top of the pyramid. Very little in their professional lives happens by accident. So if one of these folks has a slew of nude photographs taken for any number of reasons, someone is bound to know about them. Someone is bound to have given them advice at some point.
After the first photographs or even videos of some of these women were leaked, perhaps the other women might have figured out that maybe…they too should have hit the delete button?
If you are a corporation and someone stole your secrets by hacking your computer system, and I am a corporation in a similar business, wouldn’t I want to make sure my secrets weren’t vulnerable?
The only time I might not want to do that is if, for some strange reason, I might want my secrets to be leaked. Whoops!
Is Clay Aiken right?
He might be. He could be. It is difficult to not think that we are being manipulated to an extent. It is sort of like an ice bucket challenge; “if Kim did it, then maybe I should do it,” kind of stuff.
I would like to say I feel sorry for all of these mega-million dollar stars, but I just can’t muster the sympathy. To be sympathetic might also imply that they were unwilling and unknowing of the potential problems.
It is one thing, certainly, for unethical people to exist in this world; it is quite another thing for us to be led into a false set of “shocked emotions” by perfectly aware people (and corporations) to make us believe they were somehow duped.
Teach your children well dear friends.