'Be careful posting images online' is just another form of modern-day victim-blaming
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Anastasia Powell, RMIT University
The revelations this week of yet another vile website where men and boys trade in the non-consensual images of women and girls has police and many in the broader Australian public concerned about these harassing behaviours.
Yet some of the media and public discussions of these image-sharing websites and forums also show a disturbing similarity to other examples of sexual harassment or violence against women.
Many, it would seem, are all too ready to shift the blame towards the victims. Advice circulating via various public statements, media coverage and school-based education resources repeatedly tells girls and young women to “be careful what you share” because these images will be “out there forever”.
‘Be careful what you share’
There are several problems with this kind of response.
Perhaps most importantly, such advice contributes to the shaming and humiliation of victims by placing the responsibility back onto them for their humiliation. Feel...
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