It took me a minute to figure out way Jennifer Lawrence was trending on Twitter earlier this week. Then I saw the #NudePics hashtag and thought, “another one bites the dust”. It’s seems like every few months we are blessed with another high profile person that has bared their butt cheeks for the cameras. I don’t think that its even all that shocking any more, is it?
Welp, there are many many reasons that I have never taken nudie pics, and none of them have anything to do with me being a prude or ashamed of my body. The primary reason that I flat out refuse to take part in such foolery is that I have worked too freaking hard to build my brand to have it sullied by some salty ex or nosy tech guy seeking “revenge porn”. Let’s face it, we have NO control over where these photos will end up… NONE! Another reason is kind of a pet peeve. I mean, if a man doesn’t do the work to earn access to view my body LIVE then he doesn’t deserve to see it. If he has done the work, then he can live off the memories!
But enough about me, I’m shoving the soap box into the corner and putting on my brand coach hat now. Since we live in a sexting, belfie (butt selfie), cloud-driven technology kind of world, it’s important to know that almost none of your digital information is private any more. Smartphones get lost, cloud services get hacked, houses get robbed, cars get stolen and the contents left in any of those places can end up in the hands of dirt mongers. But alas, I know my warnings will fall on deaf ears, so I’m going to tell you a few ways to preserve your brand if you ever find your self in a Jennifer Lawrence kinda jam. Let’ hope Jen’s PR team reads this post too. Ok, here goes!
1. Don’t be shamed into silence. If you are bold enough to exhibit certain behavior, be bold enough to stand behind it, and even the people that don’t agree with you will respect you. I recommend offering a one time public statement about your behavior. You don’t have to apologize, just be honest about your feelings. Honesty always wins points with the public.
2. Don’t be cavalier. No body likes the cocky “it’s my body and I can do what I want with it” response. We live in a world where we are expected to be role models and act responsibly. If you don’t WANT to be a role model then don’t sign up for the lime light. If you don’t want to answer to your audience then don’t take their money or monetize their adoration.
3. Don’t play the victim. People really don’t care if the nudies were leaked or stolen they are more interested in the fact that you were willfully photographed. They now have your behavior as their ammunition. Diffuse the situation is by owning it and making it part of your brand. Shux, write a book or a blog post about it, do interviews tell the world. Eventually, it won’t be all that interesting anymore, and folks will move on.
4. Use your notoriety for social change. Once all eyes are on you, draw attention to a worthy (yet related) social issue. If you don’t make it about you, then no one else will. Raising awareness to issues that require social change is a great way to unite your followers with you in a joint effort for a greater good.
Ok, that about does it for me, just remember NOTHING is private any more, but if you ever Snapchat your way into a pickle, hopefully my advice will help.
PHOTO CREDIT: PHOTOS BY CARTER SMITH FOR ELLE MAGAZINE AND ELLE.COM
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