Jennifer Lawrence, Kelly Brook, & "Revenge Porn"

(Kelly Brook, Instagram)

Splashed over the pages of the Daily Mail, Facebook trending stories, and even 'The Lad Bible,' 3 days ago (13th April 2015), nude photographs of Kelly Brook were leaked. Supposedly containing a set of 24 new images, the hacking is reminiscent of this time six months ago when the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Daisy Lowe were also victimised.

I have seen countless comments posing the question: "why take nude pics?" The problem is not that these women were proud enough of their bodies to photograph them. We live in a society saturated by an obsession with body image - be it negatively portrayed on various media platforms, or positively encouraged by campaigns such as "This Girl Can" and Dove's "Like A Girl." Indeed, these are invariably one-side examples; male counterparts can be seen in the likes of the Snickers advertisements in which men are demanded to "get some nuts," attempting to uphold the shaky "inherently masculine" values. Taking nude photographs is fundamentally not the issue here - if we are perpetually encouraged to be proud of our bodies and thus have the confidence to take intimate photographs, this is arguably a step in the right direction. On the contrary, the problem lies in the eradication of this good work in the face of the myriad of abuse and "slut-shaming" which stems from it when the recipient of these private images violates human trust by distributing them.

Lauren Walker highlighted the fact that “commentators [were] shaming Jennifer Lawrence for snapping explicit photographs of [herself],” responding that “a woman’s consensual sharing of sexually explicit photos with a trusted confidante cannot be taken as wide-ranging permission to share them with the public” (Citron and Franks). As a “flagrant violation of privacy,” Jennifer Lawrence’s indecent exposure was beyond her control, much like Kelly Brook's most recent victimisation. Both women spoke out against the images: Brook suggested that the only legitimate nude photographs would only be "leaked" by herself, indicative of her deserving pride in her body and attempting to assuage the shame that victims of similar situations feel. Lawrence responded to tabloids by stating that “it is not a scandal. It is a sex crime. It is a sexual violation... I didn’t tell you that you could look at my naked body.” What Sam Kashner's article in Vogue attempted to do was show that Jennifer Lawrence’s female body could be exposed and ogled, but it would not be silenced by the voyeuristic Internet environment in which her photographs preside.

These photos are plainly portrayed as pornographic. Laurence O’Toole postulates the notion that “porn brazenly advertises its existence; you then either choose to look at it [or to] look away.” Indeed, as O’Toole highlights, pornography is wholly dependent upon its reception, and the extensive media coverage of these incidents of exposure perpetuate O'Toole's suggestion. Not only do the images brazenly advertise themselves, but the media advertises them too. Further illustrating the history of the use of the term “pornography,” stating that “modern porn is partly about democracy, about sharing out treats,” O’Toole’s suggestion is an amalgamation of the progression from the earlier political pornography of the eighteenth century which was a response to the “democratisation of culture” (Hunt). O’Toole thus reinterprets democracy, implying that the gratification attained by the viewers of pornography, specifically in this instance - revenge porn, deserve these “treats” but, in doing so, they are committing an act of sexual violence (Everyday Victim Blaming). Kelly Brook, and her peers, are consequently posited as “treats” rightfully distributed. The inherently misogynistic concept of “treats” thereby successfully subdues the voices of the victims by insisting that they should be flattered that people are interested in observing their female form and denying them the opportunity to act against their pornographic representation.

Revenge porn is a not a new concept; the term is fluid and has existed as long as the fascination with the naked body. That we are still struggling with this type of underhand betrayal due to the advantages of technology, however, is a deeply saddening concept. The release of these images should generate widespread support for the victim, and focus on blaming the perpetrator. Ultimately, we should be curating a safe environment in which we can express ourselves, be it sexually or otherwise.

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