In the past week, I’ve seen more breasts than I can count.
With events like the nude photo leak of more than 100 celebrities, which was deemed "The Fappening," and the local leak of a photo showing sorority members flashing, tits have taken over mainstream media.
This makes it the perfect time to gauge the trustworthiness of your friends, partners and classmates in terms of sexual content.
Not sure what I mean?
Maybe I’m being too sensitive, but if you actively sought out naked pictures that were leaked without consent, how can I trust you with my own pictures?
The answer: I can’t. Your treatment of these leaked naked bodies is indicative of how you’ll treat my own body.
The people who made jokes about the leaked images and passed them around seem to be the very same people who ask for naked pictures from my friends and colleagues.
It’s as if you’re saying, "Well, you shouldn’t take nudes if you don’t want people to share them, but yeah, babe, please send me some naked pictures."
It doesn’t work that way, though.
Violating one person’s right to privacy is never OK, regardless of whether you know them in person or just watch them in movies.
Looking at those photos shows that you don’t respect the privacy and body autonomy of women, and I, for one, don’t want to be involved with someone who won’t respect me.
A column regarding the celebrity photo leak that ran in the Alligator on Wednesday made just that point — "Anyone who seeks out, views or shares these photos is complicit in the crime against these women by violating their privacy."
So if you texted your friends a picture of Kate Upton topless, who’s to say you won’t do the same with a picture sent to you by someone you actually know in real life — not just in your wet dreams?
The ironic part of all of this is that you seem to think you’re doing us a favor.
But you can’t justify looking at or sharing these photos without the subject’s consent by saying that they are hot, or by saying that they will further the subject’s career.
The Alpha Omicron Pi flashing photo is a good example.
Yes, I saw the picture. Yes, the photo’s subjects were all unreasonably attractive.
But the photo was taken in what I’m sure was a private moment for the sorority. The photo wasn’t intended for my eyes, nor yours.
Regardless of your reasoning for sharing the photo, whether you thought it was funny or whether it turned you on, no reason is good enough to compromise the privacy of those sorority sisters.
Your actions in regard to these photos don’t only translate to other images. They reflect your treatment of all sexual content.
Sharing a photo is the equivalent of giving your friends a very detailed description of any sexual encounter we had.
These photos — and any sexual experience — should remain private unless both parties consent to sharing them.
If you’re lucky enough to receive a naked picture of someone, don’t mess that up by being a jerk.
Taking and/or sending nudes can be a great way to spice up your sex life.
But don’t ask for them if you are unable to keep them to yourself. Don’t screenshot photos on Snapchat for your personal enjoyment later, unless the sender has deemed that OK.
Everybody has the right to privacy. There’s no excuse to violate that just because you want to see someone’s cleavage.
Robyn Smith is a UF journalism junior. Her columns appear on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 9/5/2014 under the headline "UF professor shares personal experience with terror abroad"]
