Last week, Captain America star Chris Evans found himself in an understandably uncomfortable position.
Evans had intended to share an innocent video of his family playing the popular iPhone game โHeads Up!โ.
When the video reached its conclusion, the screen-recorded clip was minimized, further exposing the content of Evanโs camera roll. Along with some confusingly narcissistic photos of Evansโ headshots, present was also a low lit picture of male genitalia.
The video was quickly deleted but unfortunately for Evans, fans had done some screen recording of their own. Aside his crude exposure, a photo of Evans can be seen with the caption โGuard That P*ssy.โ
If past cases of celebrity nude exposure hold true, the reaction to Evansโ accidental leak should have been heinous and cruel. Fortunately for him, this was not the case.
Celebrities, friends and fans alike jumped to Evansโ aid, sharing sentiments of support and understanding. Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo joined in on the fun, posting to Twitter, โBro, while Trump is in office there is NOTHING you could possibly do to embarrass yourself.โ
Knives Out co-star Jamie Lee Curtis also had something to say about the matter, posting โMy boy! Proud of him. Got MY attention!โ Respectfully, Evans took advantage of his phallically- prompted fame by posting, โNow that I have your attention [face-palm emoji]…. VOTE Nov 3rd!!!”, to his Twitter page.
To the passive viewer, the story is over. We saw a dick, the dick laughed it off and thereโs nothing more to be said, right?
Well, actress Kat Dennings doesnโt seem to share a similar point of view. A few days after Evansโ post, Dennings posted to Twitter, โThe public respect for Chris Evansโ privacy/feelings is wonderful. Wouldnโt it be nice if it extended to women when this kind of thing happens?โ
Dennings has had her own experience with a similar incident. In 2010, Dennings private, explicit photos were leaked to the public through online hackers. And she has a pretty damn good point.
Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Kate Uptonโas well as her husband Justin Verlanderโare only a few of the many celebrities to have fallen victim to Appleโs iCloud hacking scandal.And were these celebrities greeted with the respect and understanding like
Thereโs a double standard throughout the media. Women are labeled โsluttyโ or โfloozyโ for their accidental indecent exposures. Theyโre expected to feel shame and guilt for their โimmoral, unbridled waysโ.
On the other hand, men are labeled โendearingโ, โcharmingโ or โhunkyโโI’m paraphrasing for the sake of modestyโand given the opportunity to laugh off the misunderstanding.
Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlanderโphotographed alongside wife Kate Upton in her leaked photographsโwas commended by fans. Regardless of his participation in the content, he was shown respect solely for his association with supermodel Kate Upton.
Jennifer Lawrence was a key contributor in the effort to break this double standard. โIt is not a sex crime. It is a sexual violation,โ Lawrence said in response to the criticism. โI donโt have anything to say Iโm sorry for.โ
There is one key factor between Evansโ case and the case of the iCloud hackings: control. Evans had the choice to share his explicit content. The fact that a photo of his genitals was broadcasted to his six million Instagram followers is solely on him.
Lawrence and Upton never had that choice. Theyโd been robbed of their privacy and subjected to the harsh, unwitting criticism of the public eye.
โWhen nude photos are revealed, society empathizes with and even celebrates menโs sexuality and bodies while simultaneously shaming, vilifying and lashing out at women in similar circumstances,โ said Sarah Scanlon, Sexual Violence Response Coordinator at Laurier.
โThese disparate responses are even more harmful when womenโs photos are being released without their knowledge or consent,โ Scanlon said. โRegardless of peopleโs gender, image-based abuse such as leaking photos or sharing nude photos without explicit consent is an intentional act of sexual violation and exploitation.โ
Always keep in mind that Laurier provides support for those going through familiar circumstances to those mentioned above. โYou deserve support. It is never your fault and you are not alone,โ Scanlon added. โLaurierโs Sexual Violence Support Staff are able to provide support, advocacy, accommodations and information on reporting and complaint processes. Please reach out to svinfo@wlu.ca.โ
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