Miley Cyrus may be the next victim in the private photo hacking scandal that’s affected stars like Lucy Hale and Emma Watson.
According to The Sun, topless pictures of Miley have been leaked. Hollywood Life reports the leaked pictures of Miley seem to be part of the larger celebrity private photo leak that’s been underway for years. Before we go any further, this is your reminder NEVER to click alleged private photos of anyone — not even a celebrity.
While some outlets have pointed out that Miley has gone mostly topless on stage, that doesn’t matter. How Miley chooses to present herself on stage or in public is just that: her choice. But just because she’s appeared on stage without a top doesn’t mean it’s ok to invade Miley’s privacy and view pictures she she chose not to share. Why? Because of consent.
Just like with sex, consenting once does not mean consent across the board. In other words, you might agree to have sex with a partner on Monday, but then when that same partner approaches you for sex again on Wednesday, the consent you gave on Monday does not carry over. You have every right to say no. Just because Miley might have given consent to see her in just nipple pasties once, she’s not giving consent for us to see her topless, private photos. Consent is on a case-by-case basis, and that’s why it’s not OK that someone leaked Miley’s photos, or for you to look at them.
We each have a right to privacy, no matter what we’ve done before or what choices we make. That’s why Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer known for her defense of victims of revenge porn, says it’s not the fact that private photos of Miley exist that people should worry about, or the kind of outfits she’s worn on stage.
“Are you just supposed to never take your clothes off?” Carrie told the New Yorker. “You can’t get naked, you can’t take a shower?What’s getting distributed isn’t necessarily images that were consented to in the first place. That’s why it’s the distribution you have to focus on.”
Exactly. Let Miley’s private photos stay private.
