Delaney’s Opinion: Objectifying Women

Something that has recently become a focus point in our culture is the objectifying of women. Catcalling, “inferiority” in the world and even some religious standpoints can shrink a woman’s feeling of self-worth. Call me crazy, but women are people with the same emotions, hopes and dreams as men.

The event that has highlighted this problem happened in the news recently – a massive hacked leak onto the Internet of many female celebrity’s nude pictures. Magazines are calling this a “scandal.” This isn’t a “scandal.” This is illegal. Yes, illegal.

When we live in a world in which you can access free content of naked and consenting women in less than 5 seconds, why would you need to invade the privacy of non-consenting women for nude pictures? HINT: it has something to with the idea that people think they are entitled to make any woman their personal porn object – even if it is non-consensual – and humiliate and invade her privacy in the process.

Now I know that 50 % of us have gone through Health class and know what consent is. I hope to God you have the common sense to respect a girl enough to keep anything between you consensual and private. A lot of people are blaming these celebrities for the pictures, using the classic argument of “If she didn’t want anything to happen, she shouldn’t have done it.” STOP THAT.  It is never the victim’s fault – EVER. When you decide to victim-blame, be fully aware of the possibility that at least one woman you know and care about silently decides that she can’t trust you anymore.

I’ll say it a million times —–THIS WAS A SEX CRIME. Joking about it and blaming the victim only further enables this dysfunctional aspect of our culture and yet again — treats women as objects.