So, what’s the big deal about sexting? We’ve asked four professionals to tackle this GLAMOUR reader’s question.
Sometimes when I get incredibly horny (i.e., quite often), I will take it out on my phone, sending scandalous pictures and Snapchats, and sexting with guys I’m only casual with. It’s so much fun, and I don’t know that I want to stop. But should I worry?
— B.B., 25
“ You’re not alone in sending these messages. In a national survey, one in five single Americans said they had sent and/or received photos or sexy words. But of all the people who had gotten them, almost a quarter also said they’d shared them, and with an average of three people! (And men were more likely to show them to a friend than women were.) That’s scary enough, but if someone were to forward your sexts, things could get exponential very quickly. The only way to be sure that nothing will get out there is to not send it.”
— Amanda Gesselman, Ph.D., an assistant research scientist at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction
“ Sexting has a lot of risks, just like any other sexual activity, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. As with everything in life, there’s no way you can be 100 percent safe. Still, you could have a conversation with the person you’re sexting to make your expectations of privacy explicit. The real solution, of course, is to stop slut shaming, because then it wouldn’t matter as much if a woman’s naked photos ended up on the Internet, and you could sext with a lot less fear!”
— Amy Adele Hasinoff, author of Sexting Panic: Rethinking Criminalization, Privacy, and Consent
“ Here’s the deal: You may take a few minutes to compose and snap a good photo, but it takes a guy only a few seconds to share it with his pal Jimmy. Now, Jimmy might not be a bad guy, but maybe he sends it to his college roommate, Craig, who has changed a lot since college and, unbeknownst to Jimmy, started a revenge-porn blog. By then, any say you had over how the content is presented has evaporated. It’s another nude pic out in a digital world that’s teeming with them. Look, everyone sexts — you just have to trust your instincts. If you don’t trust the guy, don’t send him nudes.”
— Benjy Hansen-Bundy, a sex and relationships editor at GQ
“ I say go for it. It’s definitely an empowering move for women to do risqué stuff like that, and a lot of us feel bolder and free by doing and saying things over electronic media that we might not in person. Just know that there are ways to have fun without really exposing yourself: You can make a new, anonymous Snapchat account in less than a minute or use a Google Voice number, and always avoid showing your face. If you’re careful and do it in a way that conceals your identity, I think you’re fine.”
— Zane, best-selling author of erotic novels such as Afterburn and Addicted
Taken from GLAMOUR US . Click here to read the original.
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