2015 Association for Women in Psychology Conference

Revenge porn is when individuals post sexually explicit photos and videos of their exes online to websites, such as “MyEx,” whose tagline is “Get Revenge.” Revenge porn has gained attention in light of the recent leak of nude photos of celebrity women. However, celebrities are in a very different position than typical victims of revenge porn, as celebrities not only have better financial resources to take legal action but may gain a new level of fame. The popularity of celebrity nudes being “leaked” may influence the growing trend of revenge porn, as individuals may believe that it is more socially acceptable to share sexually explicit material of their ex. Sexting can progress into revenge porn. Sext messages are sexually suggestive messages sent through cellular phones or over the internet, and include semi-nude or nude photos and videos of an individual (Winkleman, 2014). When individuals within intimate relationships share sexually explicit content with each other, when the relationship ends, if one individual feels like seeking revenge s/he may in turn use the sexually explicit material to post as revenge porn. Many victims of revenge porn do not know that their private photos and/or videos have been uploaded unless notified by an outside party. On many revenge porn sites people are often directed to the victim’s social media pages, home address, phone number, and even their family and friends’ social media profiles. Often the perpetrator encourages others to share and post links everywhere on the web in an attempt to get the pictures of the person to be viewed when someone performs a Google search of the victim’s name. The purpose of this discussion is to address the impact this trend could have on the psychology of women and how feminist psychologists and activists can support victims and press for legal sanctions against posters.