Don’t you love how social media platforms like Instagram pander to our urge to post images of ourselves for the world to see? It’s a veritable paradise for exhibitionists and voyeurs alike. Yes, I know that many of us use social media to share our interests, advertise products or services, or build our personal brands. But there are enough scandalous images which make it onto the news feed that I wonder what they are really trying to sell.
There are evenings when I will peruse the Explore page on Instagram. The vast majority of featured posts which show up on my phone are of cute animals, which is completely appropriate, since I am such a huge animal lover. However, I will often be in the process of scrolling down, when a random, bare-assed image shows up.
I’m not talking about images in which a woman is showing off her conditioned glutes in a sexy bikini or a snug pair of workout pants. I’m not even talking about a professional aesthetic nude shot which is tasteful. I am talking about a bare-assed, naked, in a slutty bent-over pose selfie. How does an image like that show off a woman’s gains at the gym? Something like that only shows that she has no self-respect, and is willing to show the world her goodies and contribute to an online spank bank. My reaction is always to shake my head in disgust, then keep scrolling down.
What blows my mind is that many of the people who are posting these images are fitness people who want to expand their following. I’ve got news for every single person who does this: you are only making yourself look like a slut! Sure, some sex-crazed jerks will click on your “look at my ASS!” pic, like it, and possibly follow you, but do you really want someone to follow you because he saw your bare bottom and wants to tap it? Those followers can even be downright dangerous if they are mentally unbalanced.
The queen of the slutty butt pics has got to be Kim Kardashian, whose bold butt photo blew up the internet in 2014:
Do you really want to be known as a spectacle, someone who is only known for having a hot body or for being willing to bare all on a regular basis? A good filter to use when you are thinking of posting an image on social media is to ask yourself, “Would I be okay with my dad/mom/daughter/son/brother/sister/grandpa/grandma seeing this image?” Try not to rationalize the response, but really pay attention to what the image conveys, as well as what kind of audience it will draw in. Another good filter is to ask yourself, “Will I be proud or embarrassed about this image in 5/10/1/20/25/30 years?” Don’t forget that everything will follow you, whether you like it or not!