The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)

Girl pressed for nude photo should say, ‘No.’

- Amy Dickinson Contact Amy Dickinson via email at askamy@ amydickins­on.com.

DEAR AMY » My boyfriend and I just finished our junior year of high school. We’ve been a couple for almost six months and are sexually active.

He recently asked me to let him take nude photos of me.

He is totally trustworth­y and I know I can count on him to be discreet, but I still worry that someone else will somehow view them.

You hear stories of “revenge porn,” and I’ve heard from different female classmates that their boyfriends shared their private photos with other boys.

I don’t want to be a prude or deny my boyfriend’s desire, but I’m nervous about being out there “au natural.”

Is this picturetak­ing-thing normal, or not so much? — Camera Shy DEAR SHY » First of all, use birth control. Becoming pregnant would affect your life even more than having a nude photo shared. And having a nude photo shared would affect your life in profound ways.

Secondly, if you submit to nude photos, they will definitely be shared.

Here are possible scenarios: Your BF’s kid brother gets ahold of his phone and ... boom — there you are, on Instagram.

Your BF’s parents get mad at him, and inspect his phone. There you are.

Your BF loses or leaves his phone somewhere. You end up wherever that phone is — and/or in the “cloud.”

Your “totally trustworth­y” BF is bragging about what a babe you are, and hands his phone (or texts a photo) to a totally trustworth­y friend of his. Boom — there you are, on Twitter.

Your BF gets mad at you, or you two break up. This nude photo is now leverage that he (or someone else) can use against you.

Think it through. If you and your guy are in a healthy relationsh­ip, then why does he need (or even want) a nude photo of you? He’s got the real thing!

Guys ask for these photos because it is a rite of passage for them. It is social currency for them. Guys who were trading Pokemon cards in elementary school now collect these. It does nothing but potentiall­y damage you.

Furthermor­e, if your guy is pressuring you to do this, it is a red flag.

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