Meet the weird cousin of sexting called frexting

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger

Well now we’ve all heard and know all about sexting don't we? The online vermin where transmission of revealing erotic pictures of one’s anatomy to a romantic partner is sent through some form of digital media. We also know don't we how this oftentimes escalates to nasty cases of revenge porn where those pictures you intended only to be seen by a boyfriend or girlfriend you were surely to be with the rest of your life, are now painted all over the internet since you broke up with them recently? Not bad enough? Just listen to this:

Now there’s something new people are biting off their arm about called, frexting. This is the same thing as “sexting” except you send pictures of your derriere to your trusted friends, not your love interest. This happens to be much more popular amongst females looking for validation or encouragement from girlfriends they trust. Can you imagine? Who does this? Who thinks this is a good idea? Well, apparently, younger women feel a measure of safety in knowing that their BFF is not going to pass around a frext of them in their bra and panties to some random boy. Why does their BFF even want to see such a thing you ask? I've no idea.

It is also less likely that a female friend will use the image as a sexual stimulant or weapon. Why are they being send round this way again? All well and good, but what if you have a falling out with your best girlfriend?  It’s not as if that doesn’t happen all the time. This may put you right into the fire, and possible in worse shape than your old beau having at you. Although women fall victim to online harassment more than men, studies show they can also be more vicious in their attacks against others online. There seems to be somewhat of an exhibitionist mentality among many young women these days as they strive to find validation and empowerment through their physical appearance. This is the most unhealthy frame of mind and a mind frame that may lead to the most damaging experience of their lives.

Keep your derriere where it belongs is my advice!

Cyber harassment is not a gender war.

By Abigail Clarke: Contributing Content Blogger

I don't want to harp on gender wars but I have to speak up over my frustrations. I read another article daring to compare cyberharassment against men as comparable to women.  I've no issue with men, I love them, but the prevailing notion keeps flopping about telling us men are targeted more often than women. Wait, what's this nonsense? It's an idea based on statistics claiming male celebrities receive more abuse overall on Twitter than their female counterparts. Straight off we're in trouble if we're using celebrities as our goal posts but beyond that this is a shallow study that takes the matter remissly out of context. Facts are, men are rarely targeted online for just being “men,” yet women tend to be harassed as a result of ingrained cultural beliefs that have been around since the beginning of time, that women are subordinate creatures needing to be put in their proper place.

For girls and women, being harassed online is not just about trivial unpleasantries or catcalls, as the media might have us believe, rather it is very often about men asserting dominance by intimidating women to silence and submission. Unlike men, women must endure threats of rape and other gender based violence that is simply not a factor for men.  It is common to see the sharing of gifs, images, and lewd jokes depicting gross violence against women as “humour.” Unfortunately the humour can spill over into the real world leading to mob behaviours or individual physical stalking and attacks.

Women are in the majority of those targeted for revenge porn aren't they? Only recently more than 100 female celebrities fell victim to their private photographs being maliciously posted online with the intent to humiliate. It wasn't men. These things can happen to anyone, but in reality they don’t so let's keep it real. Men are online victims but to say what they experience online is comparable to women is insulting and takes us away from where we should be in developing strategies to deal with cyber abuses on the large. Abuses that do yes happen to men, but happen overwhelmingly to women with the abusers overwhelmingly being men. Let's not make comparisons where there aren't any. This is a war against cyber hate and crimes not a battle of which sex has it the worst.

Revenge Porn

By David Simms, Senior Contributor

One of the more disturbing aspects of online harassment is what they call revenge porn. Revenge porn is the posting or sharing online of sexually illicit photos or video of someone. The vast majority of these cases are based on relationships that have come to an end leaving hard feelings with one or both participants. In most cases women are the subject of most revenge porn campaigns but men can fall victim depending on the circumstances. Revenge porn is often used as leverage in blackmail crimes. There are many case where photos of a person did not involve a relationship per se, rather were intended to be included in a professional portfolio or used as a therapeutic tool. A 22 year old girl in the UK had private pictures taken for her own viewing as a self-image therapy. The pictures were stolen and dispersed around the internet. The company posting the photos wanted to charge her a price she could not afford, to take them down. 

It is common for hackers to obtain photos with intent to extort money from a victim. Public figures are especially at risk to this but it is the relationships gone bad, that comprise the majority of cases. In a related matter, people who have their picture taken as a mugshot due to being arrested, may have their photo posted on a public sites.  Although this is perfectly legal to do, it can cause extreme embarrassment for a person.  When they go to the website hosting the photos, they are commonly given the choice of paying a steep fee to have the picture removed or not paying and having it remain on the web. There are several web-based companies who make their living exploiting mugshots and other acquired media of victims, a practice that is purely despicable. 

Nations which have passed laws against revenge porn include Israel, Britain, Germany, and several states in the United States. Although illicit media can be mortifying for those targeted in countries such as the United States, it can be deadly for those in other regions of the world where gender cultural practices are vastly different. For example, if a woman’s pictures are posted in a country like Iran, she could be put to death. This raises the stakes for women in these cultures making them extremely vulnerable. Crimes of this nature are rarely reported in the mainstream media and therefore go unnoticed by most people.  This gives a false sense that revenge porn is something merely causing embarrassment when it is something much more sinister and lethal.