Dick pics and the only rule that guides it
A popular female comedian said something along the lines that, the best way to deal with an unsolicited dick pic was to download a dick pic from the internet and send one back to the sender.
There are many articles on the internet advising women on how to react if they receive an unsolicited penis of a stranger, or maybe even a colleague or acquaintance. But therein lies the problem, having to constantly advise victims of online harassment on what to do when they are sent a picture of a penis that they didn’t ask for. This is like when people tell women not to wear revealing clothes in order not to get raped, or groped.
While there are several reasons why men send pictures of their penises to women, sending dick pics without being asked to is borderline harassment. The practice of exchanging nudes should ideally only exist between people who are in a pre-existing sexual relationship, be it sexting or exchanging body fluids.
Our inbox and DMs are supposed to be a safe space where we hold conversations with people in our lives, professionally or leisurely; to be harangued with images of genitalia can be traumatic and ruin the safe experiences that our DMs are supposed to provide.
Many victims of unsolicited dick pictures have employed various tactics including naming and shaming, screenshotting the messages and posting them on the timeline in a bid to shame the perpetrators and cause them to desist. The problem, however, is that many often do this with burner accounts and this method might be ineffective in dealing with the problem, after all the pervs are faceless individuals hiding cowardly behind the anonymity that a new Twitter account can provide.
Sending nude pictures like every other form of sexual activity can be a thrilling and fun experience, and what even makes it better is the wholesomeness that comes with it when the other person approves of your actions. Like sex without consent is rape and sexual assault, sending out pictures of your genitalia is inappropriate, and constitutes sexual harassment.
It is practically equivalent to going into someone’s home or office and stripping yourself naked before them. If you saw someone did this in the news, surely you would conclude that this person was indeed mad and should be kept away from normal, functioning members of society. If you didn’t know, this is a criminal offense of indecent exposure and one is liable to be prosecuted for such.
So what happens then if you are trying to show off your huge member, or boost your low self-esteem, or maybe even arouse interest in the person you are sending this picture of your penis to? Do you want to know the absolute truth? Stop. Just don’t do it. If she didn’t ask you to, then don’t.
If you are itching to, then ask, in any manner you deem fit. Ask. Just like you can’t go on a date with a person, without actually asking them to go on a date with you, and be there and do some form of activity together, in the same vein you can not send a picture of your penis without asking if they want to see it. There is no guarantee that your request will be met with a Yes.
You might even ruin the friendship that may have existed and the person might stop texting or speaking to you altogether, but then at least you’ve been respectful to yourself, and them, and you won’t go down in history as the asshole of the year. A little rejection never hurt anyone. You and your penis will be fine in the end.
Do you have questions about unsolicited nudes? Drop them below or reach out to our Moderators on our Facebook Page.
