{"id":8041,"date":"2014-09-03T16:50:47","date_gmt":"2014-09-03T08:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog?p=8041&preview_id=8041"},"modified":"2026-03-07T05:56:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T04:56:30","slug":"protecting-your-sexy-selfies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Your Sexy Selfies"},"content":{"rendered":"

This just in: celeb photos leaked!<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how it\u2019s described now, when someone gains access to a private online account, acquires their most private information and uses it for their gain. Yeah, \u201cleaked\u201d. Like when someone \u201cleaks\u201d your credit card out of your pocket and \u201cleaks\u201d your money out of your bank account into their own.<\/p>\n

When a government employee shares classified information with a journalist in order to highlight criminal activity, that\u2019s a leak. When pictures you\u2019ve taken of yourself naked are taken without consent<\/a> and sold, that\u2019s just good old fashioned theft.<\/p>\n

We are of course referring specifically to Jennifer Lawrence and a handful of other celebrities who recently had their iCloud accounts hacked and their private photos stolen and shared.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s bad enough in its own right, but what\u2019s perhaps more shocking is the response to it: it\u2019s as though these celebrities don\u2019t deserve to have private lives, and that it\u2019s somehow surprising when it\u2019s revealed that they are sexual, like the rest of us. These are insights into the private lives of real, actual human beings, taken without consent and distributed as though we deserve some ownership of them purely because the people featured in them choose to spend some of their professional lives in the public eye. We don\u2019t deserve ownership of them, and just because these people have chosen to work in an arena visible to the public, that doesn\u2019t automatically give us any proprietary rights over them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of a disturbing and pervasive habit we have of commoditizing the sexuality of female \u2018celebrities\u2019. In fact, it\u2019s not even restricted to celebrities. Female teachers<\/a>, secretaries<\/a>, real estate agents<\/a>, police officers<\/a>, weather presenters and many, many others are all penalized for having control of their sexuality. Somehow it\u2019s acceptable to sexualize women, but unacceptable if we see ourselves as sexual. And woe betides any woman who wishes to keep her personal, professional and social lives separate.<\/p>\n

In the words of Ann Hathaway, after a picture of a \u2018wardrobe malfunction\u2019 was taken, sold and published:<\/p>\n

\"anne<\/p>\n

In a previous post celebrating World Sexual Health Awareness Day<\/a>, we quoted the World Health Organization\u2019s definition of sexual health:<\/p>\n

Sexual health requires a positive approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This definition is important, because it\u2019s easy to consider a sexy selfie to be something silly and frivolous, something that doesn\u2019t have any impact. But that\u2019s not true: it\u2019s an absolutely valid expression of your sexual identity, and you should be free to create your own safely and securely, and share them as you see fit. You should not lose your job over something that has nothing at all to do with your job.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, that\u2019s not currently how it works. The digital age is still young, and there are still gaps in security that lead to \u2018leaks\u2019. So we need to put some effort in ourselves to keep our privacy\u2026 private. Here are some tips on keeping your selfies to yourself….<\/p>\n

1. Store Private Content Locally<\/h2>\n

Since the technology is still quite new, there are still flaws to be found in \u2018the cloud\u2019. Store anything you want to keep private directly onto your phone and don\u2019t upload it to any online storage service. (If you\u2019re using an iPhone, go to \u201cSettings,\u201d then \u201ciCloud,\u201d then \u201cStorage & Backup\u201d and stop the \u201cPhoto Stream\u201d feature.) Check your phone\u2019s security settings to make sure it\u2019s not uploading files in the background.<\/p>\n

2. Passwords<\/h2>\n

Make sure your phone is password protected, and then make sure that your \u2018secret\u2019 files are stored behind a separate and completely different<\/strong> password. There are tons of apps out there that will password protect your files. Change your passwords regularly.<\/p>\n

3. Encrypt Your Files<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>If you\u2019re really keen to protect your privacy, then an encryption program will stop your files from the possibility of being viewed even if a hacker has your password.<\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t Be Na\u00efve<\/h2>\n

It seems likely that the security breach that led to the theft of these celebrities\u2019 photos was not a technological one: that means they were probably stolen by deception. You\u2019re probably aware of phishing? It\u2019s when a fake website is created which tries to trick you into entering private details, like password. As people become wiser to this practice, so the sites become more convincing, so don\u2019t enter personal details unless you\u2019re sure it\u2019s legitimate.<\/p>\n

5. Be Aware Of What You\u2019re Giving Away<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t give away too much information. There\u2019s no reason why an internet company would need your address, for example, or your first pet\u2019s name. Unless you trust the site, protect this kind of personal information, because it can be used to figure out passwords. If you have to give details, tweak them. Change your name slightly, or use a slightly different spelling of your address. Use fake answers on security questions<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a shame that we have to go these lengths, but that\u2019s unfortunately our lot for now, until the technology \u2013and the attitudes that go with it \u2013 begin to change.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Lena Dunham said it best<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The way in which you share your body must be a CHOICE. Support these women and do not look at these pictures,remember, when you look at these pictures you are violating these women again and again. It’s not okay.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So go forth, take selfies, feel sexy, and stay safe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Enjoy 15% off LELO.com<\/a> with code VOLONTE15<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This just in: celeb photos leaked! That\u2019s how it\u2019s described now, when someone gains access to a private online account, acquires their most private information and uses it for their gain. Yeah, \u201cleaked\u201d. Like when someone \u201cleaks\u201d your credit card out of your pocket and \u201cleaks\u201d your money out of your bank account into their own. When a government employee shares classified information with a journalist in order to highlight criminal activity, that\u2019s a leak. When pictures you\u2019ve taken of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":8049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[531],"coauthors":[947],"class_list":["post-8041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sex-tips-advice","tag-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Keep Your Selfies To Yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After the theft and distribution of some celeb selfies, we offer some advice on how to make sure your private files stay private.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Keep Your Selfies To Yourself\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After the theft and distribution of some celeb selfies, we offer some advice on how to make sure your private files stay private.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Volont\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LELO.Official\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-09-03T08:50:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-07T04:56:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/selfies.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"330\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Donna Turner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Lelo_Official\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Lelo_Official\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Donna Turner\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/\",\"name\":\"How To Keep Your Selfies To Yourself\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/selfies2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-03T08:50:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-07T04:56:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ee7d40fffc3a3ad51f9cb3b4fa664198\"},\"description\":\"After the theft and distribution of some celeb selfies, we offer some advice on how to make sure your private files stay private.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/selfies2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/selfies2.jpg\",\"width\":660,\"height\":330},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Volonte\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sex Tips & Advice\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/sex-tips-advice\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Protecting Your Sexy Selfies\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Volont\u00e9\",\"description\":\"A Pleasure Project by LELO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ee7d40fffc3a3ad51f9cb3b4fa664198\",\"name\":\"Donna Turner\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/88c9866b5ee0a4d7a7adc0ab62350db0\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2cb3d2f89a8d391b23672976d4d6586a?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2cb3d2f89a8d391b23672976d4d6586a?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Donna Turner\"},\"description\":\"Donna has been a Volont\u00e9 contributor for over a decade, researching trending sexual health topics against relevant scientific findings. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons, and regularly speaks in college health classes.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/author\/donnaturner\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/author\/donnaturner\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How To Keep Your Selfies To Yourself","description":"After the theft and distribution of some celeb selfies, we offer some advice on how to make sure your private files stay private.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How To Keep Your Selfies To Yourself","og_description":"After the theft and distribution of some celeb selfies, we offer some advice on how to make sure your private files stay private.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/","og_site_name":"Volont\u00e9","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LELO.Official\/","article_published_time":"2014-09-03T08:50:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-07T04:56:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":660,"height":330,"url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/selfies.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Donna Turner","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Lelo_Official","twitter_site":"@Lelo_Official","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Donna Turner","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/","name":"How To Keep Your Selfies To Yourself","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/selfies2.jpg","datePublished":"2014-09-03T08:50:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-07T04:56:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ee7d40fffc3a3ad51f9cb3b4fa664198"},"description":"After the theft and distribution of some celeb selfies, we offer some advice on how to make sure your private files stay private.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/selfies2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/selfies2.jpg","width":660,"height":330},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/protecting-your-sexy-selfies\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Volonte","item":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sex Tips & Advice","item":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/sex-tips-advice\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Protecting Your Sexy Selfies"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/","name":"Volont\u00e9","description":"A Pleasure Project by LELO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ee7d40fffc3a3ad51f9cb3b4fa664198","name":"Donna Turner","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/88c9866b5ee0a4d7a7adc0ab62350db0","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2cb3d2f89a8d391b23672976d4d6586a?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2cb3d2f89a8d391b23672976d4d6586a?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"Donna Turner"},"description":"Donna has been a Volont\u00e9 contributor for over a decade, researching trending sexual health topics against relevant scientific findings. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons, and regularly speaks in college health classes.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/author\/donnaturner\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/author\/donnaturner\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8041"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48008,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8041\/revisions\/48008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8041"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}