Revenge Porn: The Beginning Of The End?

Revenge porn is never okay – no matter how hot you look in it. Vv Magazine’s Isabel Chalmers investigates the internet’s latest negative craze…

Picture this: You and your boo go on a trip to Jamaica for your anniversary. You guys have a four-course dinner by the water where you drink five-too-many rum and Red Bulls. The real fun, however, begins later in the hotel room when you’re completely alone — except for the camera pointing at your face, that is. Being in love and slightly drunk, you go with it. Whatever! You’re looking tanned and hot, and running on all that liquid courage helps too.

Now, picture this: It’s a year later and that boo is nothing but an unfortunate memory. Then, one day, you find your boobs are all over the Internet. That’s right, your ex has made the decision on your behalf to expose your naked body (and all its jiggly bits) to the world through that little invention we like to call the Internet. You sink to your knees (kinda like in the video). You have become a victim of revenge porn.

Socialite and mid-2000s idol Paris Hilton was one of the original victims of revenge porn. Who could forget the classic cinematic experience that was House of Wax 1 Night In Paris? Even pop culture queen Kim Kardashian is still dealing with rumours that her pre-Kanye sex tape was actually released by herself (read: Kris Jenner) in the name of fame. It seems that nobody is immune to the Internet’s infinite opportunities to overshare. But thanks to campaigns like End Revenge Porn and the surprisingly-positive awareness brought about by the celebrity phone hack scandal of 2014, it seems like revenge porn may already be on its way out the door — good riddance!

Reddit has taken a stance on the matter by releasing a policy, effective March 10, that ensures all photos and videos posted on the site are consensual. This is likely a result of the backlash they faced from being one of the most influential sites willing to publish the nude photos found on the iClouds of celebrities; powerful celebrities such as America’s sweetheart, Jennifer Lawrence, and the famously bodacious Kate Upton. Although the phone hack wasn’t quite revenge porn — which often targets ex-girlfriends who took the photos or videos consensually but have not consented to their release – these photos were not released with anybody’s permission. Ultimately, both are insidious forms of violence against women.

Lawrence took a firm stance on the incident, having her lawyer release a statement that threatened to press criminal sex charges against any site or person caught posting the photos. This snowballed into an army of supporting celebrities and regular citizens who were also furious with these sex crimes being dismissed as anything other than just that: crimes.

In the months that have followed, we’ve seen a lot of positive change from media outlets such as celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who recently claimed to end the practice of posting nude pictures of celebrities without obtaining consent from them personally (something he had been known to do prior, and has since extended apologies for). Most recently, Kevin Boellart –the man behind one of the largest revenge porn sites in America– was charged with up to 20 years in prison. It seems that the law is finally setting out to end what we too causally brushed off as a joke for far too long. Currently, 16 states in the US now have revenge porn laws in effect and Canada is looking to follow suit.

Even with Reddit on the side of dignity, revenge porn will live on. This is the digital age, after all. And once it’s on the Internet, it’s out there forever — so please pause and think before you press “Send” on that juicy belfie you just snapped. Matter how hot that shit is, it’s not so attractive when it’s all over the Internet for your grandma to see.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on revenge porn! Have you had it done to you? Let us know in the comments section below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.