The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

Culture is as revealing as sexts themselves

By Kathleen McAleese
Editor‐in‐Chief

Unfortunately, sending nude pictures has become a prominent part of high school culture that, for the most part, has flown under the radar of many adults in the Westford Academy community, as well as high school communities across the nation, until now. In light of recent criminal allegations, many students are talking about who is to blame, and who isn’t.

The fact is that pornographic and inappropriate images will be taken in high school. This will hold true as long as phones have cameras and cell phone applications like Snapchat exist. Just because this activity is illegal does not change the predicament, however. Speeding while driving is illegal, alcohol is illegal for individuals under 21; people speed, people drink while underage. The illegal act of sexting, while it shouldn’t be done in the first place, should be responded to in a manner that incorporates less blame and more reform.

PHONE
Phone displaying several Snapchat notifications.

Even though sending pictures is illegal, that does not mean that people on the receiving end have the right to distribute those pictures. A person who gets a picture of a girl assumes the responsibility to not send that image around. That same moral standard must be put in place if a boy sends an image of himself.

Unfortunately, there have been more recent cases where female students are getting reprimanded for images of themselves that male students have been treating as trading cards. An issue of this gravity needs to be treated with the respect it deserves; this responsibility falls upon students of any gender. These images are not “just nudes.” These images affect students’ lives.

Both girls and boys sext, and the act is illegal for both parties if one is under the age of 18, but blaming girls for images of themselves that have made rounds through countless inboxes solely because of the disrespect for an individual’s privacy is not only counterproductive but is showing the student body that girls are in the wrong because boys send their nudes around. Both parties are doing an illegal act, but one of them is being outright malicious. Even when an individual sends an image of themselves, that person is not waving their right to be treated like a object. 

Girls are being shamed for sending pictures because certain individuals have taken the liberty in distributing inappropriate images of them, magnifying the initial crime. Many stand by the argument that anything put on the internet is public and has the ability to be sent around, and while this is true, the internet is and can be a very scary place; the receipt of an image of another’s body does not, and will never, warrant any inappropriate action on the receiver’s side. When an underage student sends a photograph in confidence that the image will not be shown, sent, printed out, or otherwise distributed, the receiving party should show just a bit of human decency to responsibly manage the situation.

Yes, pornographic nudes are illegal if the parties involved are under the age of 18. They go both ways: both male and female students send inappropriate images. In a perfect world, pornagraphic images of underage students wouldn’t be sent around, but these images aren’t going away. Responsibility falls on individuals who take the risk to sext. When you send a picture of yourself, you are breaking the law, but when you send a nude of another person, you are committing an act that qualifies as sex-offender status, and you may just be ruining a life.

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  • I

    I hope all is not lostApr 15, 2015 at 9:43 am

    Mom, did you read Dad’s comment? “It makes sense … ” to trade nude pics of your friend’s girlfriend? Really, “it makes sense?? This is why rape kits are lost in the shuffle and “no” doesn’t really mean no. This is why no one cares that ads on tv shove T&A in our faces and we’re supposed to think this is OK for our children — boys and girls, toddlers and teens – to accept as “normal.” Which is why even men with education in this century make comments like “it makes sense.”

    Reply
    • D

      DadApr 17, 2015 at 7:06 am

      All is NOT lost: when I said “it makes sense,” what I should have said is “I can see that happening.” Let me be more clear. I don’t condone any of this. I also don’t condone the TV content and I certainly did not approve of the commercials, some of which make me cringe too. As the author points out: In a perfect world, these things would not exist. I would rather talk about the real world we find ourselves in. In reality, there is a black market formed here because the culture has created a demand.

      Reluctant Mom: Please try to imagine yourself in the role of the young adult. The friend wants a picture of you. Its easy enough to send a tasteful headshot. Later they want a picture with a little more skin. At this point we hope one of them has the sense to back away. We as adults know nothing good will result from this path. We know underage pictures of anyone can only bring a world of hurt down on them. Just please try to see why they might be tempted to comply and trust their friend when we really wish they wouldn’t. This is a great opportunity to talk about what you see as risks so your kid at least knows what you think on the topic. If everyone did, then we could alter the culture.

      Thanks to the Ghostwriter for covering this. I also liked the interview with Mr. Antonelli. His responses are professional and appropriate. He has my full support.

      -J. Barstow

      Reply
  • R

    reluctant Westford MomApr 15, 2015 at 9:08 am

    “Positive and healthy relationship”????
    “Confidence boost”????
    If you need to take a picture of yourself and tack it up on the school bulletin board where all the visitors sign in to give you confidence or make you think you have a good relationship then you’re a very confused person and need professional help. Seriously.

    And “everything was fine before people got in trouble”? Fine for whom? Read the newspaper, any format will do, Anonymous.

    Reply
  • D

    DadApr 10, 2015 at 8:11 am

    Forget about who is to blame more since that is irrelevant. Some of these photos will exist and oh by the way there is porn on the Internet. What you do with it is your choice. You can delete and not forward. You can say no. I get that you might share pictures. I get that boys want to see girls and will ask for them. Trading to see his friends girls sounds like trading baseball cards because I’m old but it makes sense and will happen. You should assume things you publish online have a larger audience than it may seem. A so-called private chat with the BAE can easily become publishing online so be careful.

    -Jon Barstow

    Reply
  • A

    AnonymousMar 29, 2015 at 3:58 pm

    Seriously how is it the fault of the administration? Are they taking the pictures? Parents….stop blaming everyone else for your children’s bad decisions!

    Reply
  • K

    Kayleigh McHughMar 28, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    It’s ironic to see some people who have commented with such strong opinions on those sent nudes thinking they would be confidential. And yet these commenters are creating a sort of double standard. What if it were leaked about the identity of those who have made comments? Would you want you mother to see? Your girlfriend to see? Your boyfriend to see? Maybe I am just not caught up with the social norm of Internet confidentiality.
    But anyway the article.. Why is administration handling this? As the article says, sexting under age is an illegal act. Shouldn’t this be handled by our resource officer? Personally, I think both parties are equally at fault and should be punished as such.
    This source below shows all possible repercussions of sexting under age in Massachusetts.
    http://www.mass.gov/berkshireda/crime-awareness-and-prevention/sexting/sexting.html

    Reply
  • AnonymousMar 28, 2015 at 3:38 pm

    If a girl sends a nude then its her fault. She needs to know that once she sends it then its not in her control anymore. Idiots.

    Reply
  • AnonymousMar 28, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    I whole heartedly agree with Will and the commenter who says sending nudes in confidentiality can be a positive aspect of a healthy relationship. Victim blaming is a serious issue in today’s society, and this protocol of blaming women for things like rape and sending nudes is indicative of the inequality between the sexes. As the article says, nudes will always exist as long as they remain the easiest way to be risque and flirtatious. Since the dawn of the age of the smartphone, men have been asking girls for nudes, men have been exploiting girls’ insecurities and making them feel better about themselves to acquire nudes, and men have turned around and called girls’ prudes and a whole slew of female slurs when girls’ refuse to send them. Yes, in a situation where a boy’s nudes were circulated, then it would be just as wrong to blame the boy, but this occurrence is so rare one would be hard pressed to find an example. This is not to say boys don’t send nudes. Hell, I’m sure some girls couldn’t count the number of unsolicited pictures they’ve received from boys on both hands. If you wouldn’t want your pictures circulated through the internet, then don’t do it to others.

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  • A

    anonymousMar 28, 2015 at 12:22 pm

    Loved reading this. Although people may say it is the girl who chooses to send the photo- boys pressure girls into doing this. They tell them “I’ll delete it right away” or “I love you I won’t show anyone” and if you say no a lot of the time they will be like “your a slut” or call you an ugly name for refusing to bear your naked body through ta sext to them. The boys should be punished for distributing them amoung the friends. The girls should be given a talking to and a lesson that you do not have to do this!! but they boys sending them to everyone should be punished.

    Reply
  • AnonymousMar 28, 2015 at 11:37 am

    Thanks so much for writing this article! I agree completey.

    Reply
  • W

    Will O'NealMar 28, 2015 at 10:04 am

    To the anonymous commenter who said that the author is biased because they’re a girl and want to see guys get punished more- seriously? This is the same kind of logic behind people who defend rape. By distributing nude photos of a person who sent them to you in confidence, you are betraying that trust and, even worse, you are showing other people parts of another person’s body which they did not want others to see and sexually exploiting them. While the senders are taking a risk by sending them, that does not in any way justify distributing them. It is my view that if somebody wants to send an explicit picture of themselves to another person, it’s none of my business and I am in no position to judge. However, the sexting culture of our school has gotten out of hand, with girls and boys both distributing other people’s nudes. I would urge people to remember that when you distribute a picture of somebody else which was sent to you in confidence, you may just be ruining that person’s life.

    Reply
  • A

    AnonymousMar 28, 2015 at 7:01 am

    My issue is with administration and how they have dealt with these recent events. I believe both parties are to be blamed. The girls should not be exempt from punishment, since they are doing something just as illegal as the boys. That being said, I do not think administration is handling it well. They are going through these pictures and trying to find out which girls are in them. I am disgusted that administration thinks they have the right to go through a folder of nude pictures and try to punish every single girl who’s nudes pop up on the phone. It is not right for a school administrator to be looking at the nude pictures. They are not just glancing at these photos, they are studying them in attempt to figure out who is in them. I would not feel comfortable coming to school if I knew administration had seen my nudes. Since I believe this, I don’t think there is an appropriate way to punish these girls. Although they do the same illegal act, there is no way to punish them without first violating their privacy. This is very unfair to the boys, but unfortunately this is how it works out. There are girls who send nude pictures of boys around. If they are ever caught, then it should be the same way. Administration should not look at pictures of the boys either. In addiction, sending nudes should not be a crime in the first place. It is my body and I can do what I want with it. And if a boy receives a nude on his phone, doesn’t it become his property, meaning he too can do what he wants with it? Girls can’t get mad at guys for sending their nudes around because they made a conscious decision to send the nudes. If the girls are stupid enough to send nudes to a guy who they know will send them around (which most students at WA know who will and won’t send your nudes around), then they should take just as much blame as the boys. Either way, no action taken by administration will ever stop the sending of nude photographs. Administration has once again ovetstepped their boundaries.

    Reply
  • AnonymousMar 28, 2015 at 6:48 am

    Yes this is so important.

    Reply
  • A

    AnonMar 27, 2015 at 11:23 pm

    I disagree with your comment that this article is sexist anonymous because it was made clear that spreading nudes is wrong for both males and females. Also “girls shouldn’t send in the first place”. Why not? In a healthy relationship, this is just another way to express yourself to your partner with an added self confidence boost. The reason an individual should send a nude photo is because it makes them feel good about themselves and good about their relationship. It can be playful and fun and shouldn’t be condemned in that manner. That being said, I do not think it is ever a good idea to send photos like that of yourself to someone you do not know well and trust completely; and you should never send them because you feel pressured to do so. A general rule is do not share naked photos of yourself with someone unless you would feel comfortable exposing your body to them in person, while sober.

    Reply
  • A

    AnonymousMar 27, 2015 at 10:30 pm

    This is dumb. The author is biased. You’re a girl and want to see guys get blamed more. People should not be getting in trouble for this. I’m sure any of the girls that sent nudes would rather have nobody get in trouble than have a bunch of guys and herself get in trouble. People need to grow up and realize it does not matter as much as they make it seem. Everything was fine before people began to get in trouble.

    Reply
  • D

    drewMar 27, 2015 at 9:52 pm

    Hahaha don’t act all high and mighty and try to take the moral high-ground here you are sending a naked picture of yourself to someone I think its safe to say you are assuming some risk when you press send.

    Reply
  • A

    AnonymousMar 27, 2015 at 9:31 pm

    I agree completely with this. While both parties share the blame, it is absolutely disgusting to distribute something of this nature which was shared in confidence. I think that our whole school needs a culture check, because this cycle has to stop.

    Reply
  • AnonymousMar 27, 2015 at 9:23 pm

    I agree with your statements, but this article is a little sexist. Although boys shouldn’t send them around, girls shouldn’t send in the first place.

    Reply
  • A

    anonMar 27, 2015 at 9:22 pm

    I think the blame should be a bit more equally distributed between guys and girls. I mean in the end it’s your choice it your choice of what you send..

    Reply
  • AnonymousMar 27, 2015 at 9:16 pm

    I AGREE

    Reply