Why Women Are Allowed To Have Naked Pics

Just when we thought the feminist movement was picking up speed, some hackers have gone and thrown a wrench in it again.

In a twisted way of celebrating the return of fall, some 423 naked photos surfaced to turn our attention from hot dogs and hamburgers to tits and ass... as if our minds weren't already there.

When hackers released provocative photos of 100 celebrities in their most vulnerable forms, even as women, you couldn't help but want to wage war... while simultaneously sneaking a peek at Kate Upton's full frontal.

Upon hearing the news, you undoubtedly said something like, "Oh my god, what's wrong with the world!," while leaning over to see your friend's phone. While staring at Jennifer Lawrence's tits or Kim Kardashian's ass, you silently scorned the day men were born.

While getting into a tirade about feminism and objectification, you were also asking your friend to email you the pictures for later. So what is it? Are you angry or horny?

Due to the myriad of American Apparel ads, Miranda Kerr billboards and Beyoncé performances, we're all a little confused. For years, we've been inundated with this male obsession with the female form while simultaneously scorning the objectification of women.

We've said we hate how women are objectified, then wear lingerie and nipple tassels to Halloween parties. We've cursed the advertising industry for their disregard of women's rights then buy the clothes on the mannequin because they make our asses look good. But that's our prerogative, right? We're allowed to be objectified when we choose to be objectified.

And that's exactly where the outrage on these photos begin. Proponents of the leak will argue that women in show business, like Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, who display their naked bodies on Playboy spreads and through Swarovski see-through gowns, throw their junk willingly for the world to see.

They do not have the right to be outraged just because the photos aren't photoshopped or under matte lighting. Just because they're naked pictures from their personal computer doesn't make it any different than the ones they are making for a large profit.

But there is a difference. These women, when covered in Playboy costumes and designer lingerie are playing a role. They are consciously choosing to show their bodies.

Like feminist strippers, who choose to use their bodies for a career, they understand that sex sells. And sex isn't the problem. Sex is natural, sex is necessary. It's natural to idolize the female body and think of sex when one sees it.

The problem is how we've changed from revering women for their bodies to scorning them for it. 

Years ago women like Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Queen Gorgo and Artemisia ruled  kingdoms and empires. They were put on thrones and worshipped. They were held to the highest regard not only because they were strong, but because they had the power to give life.

Before ads, Megan Fox in "Transformers" and "Grand Theft Auto," women were seen as not just objects to be f*cked, but powerful entities to be worshipped and praised. 

The female body was a vessel for life, a powerful force with the ability to populate the earth. Breasts and stomachs were signs of fertility. Statues were built to worship these female forms, drawings depicted to capture their beauty and power. Women walked around in nothing more than jewels and slippers because their body was their power.

Like Cleopatra and  Queen Gorgo displayed, the female form is our strength. There's nothing wrong with using sex appeal to make money. For feminist strippers, it's a power position. They have control over who they dance for, who sees them naked and how long they perform.

There is no one dictating their bodies or telling them how to use it. They have chosen to use the male infatuation with the female form for their own monetary gain, the same way advertisers use commercials to sell Big Macs.

We crave sex the same way we crave food, and using your womanhood to make money off some male fantasy is not punishable.

What is punishable is hacking into a woman's computer and displaying the intimate photos she chose to take in the privacy of her own home. It's punishable to think that just because she is an actress, performer or stripper that she does not deserve the right to privacy.

It's punishable to ignore her basic rights and throw her womanhood in her face, as if she were committing some adulterous act. It's punishable to make her an object without her consent.

Photo Courtesy: We Heart It