Not-so-camera shy

By Li Lin Source:Global Times Published: 2014-9-15 19:58:18

Why do people take naked selfies?


The recent craze of naked selfies can be linked to narcissism, thrill-seeking and oppressed sexual desires. Photo: IC

"The most beautiful and natural status is being naked," said Wang Jingjing (pseudonym), a 25-year-old airline stewardess. As a beautiful woman, Wang believes she has the right to take naked photos and record her prime in all its glory.

"The plump breasts, slim waist, and sexy bottom are gifts that god gives a woman," added Wang. "And I see nothing wrong in taking pictures of myself naked."

The latest big news story from the world of celebrity gossip would suggest many of Hollywood's female stars agree with Wang. On September 1, a group of computer hackers claimed to have obtained naked photos of about 100 famous women, including singers, models and film stars such as Jennifer Lawrence, Avril Lavigne and Kim Kardashian.

It is said the hackers made use of a loophole in iCloud's security system and illegally obtained the private photos. According to the news portal Sina.com, naked photos of 17 out of the 101 female celebrities were released, with the hackers intending to publish the remaining photos in the near future.

 "I love Jennifer Lawrence, she is my goddess," said Hu Mintian, an IT worker specializing in mobile phone games. "But when I heard that she was among the 'dirty list,' my heart broke," added Hu.

"Partly because she would be unwilling to have her naked body exposed to the whole world, and partly at the astonishment that so many famous women love to take dirty photos of themselves. Such behavior degrades them so much," said Hu.

These stars who are portrayed in the media as being graceful, elegant and intelligent women, are now being seen in a new light by their astonished fans. The question many fans like Hu are asking is, "why did they take these naked photos in the first place?"

According to psychologist Xu Yungang, the act of taking dirty photos of oneself is a common social psychological phenomenon and a symbol of the changes in today's social culture. Xu links the act of taking naked photos to narcissism, thrill-seeking, oppressed sexual desires and a relief from stress.

"Moderate narcissism is normal in people, and reflects a person's inner emotions either through vanity or self-abasement," said Xu. "Almost every human being wants to get another person's attention, and most people who like to take naked photos are commonly recognized as beautiful or handsome, so they want to save their beautiful look via photos or videos," added Xu.

Liu Wei, another professional psychologist, states that everyone has a natural curiosity and that people tend to pursue excitement in their lives.

"Under the condition that people can protect their privacy if they do take photos, it is not such a bad thing for someone to take off their clothes and try something unusual and thrilling," said Liu.

 Xu also hinted that taking naked selfies could be due to a previous traumatic experience for a person.

"Naked selfies can also be due to sexual trauma during childhood," explained Xu, with many psychology reports confirming such a claim.

However, for the vast majority of people, taking dirty photos of oneself is just like exhibitionism, according to Xu. This brings pleasure to a person, regardless of whether they are a star or not.

"For ordinary people, the leaking photos of Hollywood's stars posing naked could result in people following the trend by mimicking their favorite stars and taking such naked photos," warned Xu.



Posted in: Metro Beijing

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