If you are considering sending nudes to someone, there are a few important questions you should ask yourself. The consequences for sending nudes can be severe and, in some cases, even life-changing. It is not just the person receiving your nudes that can be penalized for illegal activities.
1. Do I trust this person, or is this a trust test?
Remember, once you send nude photos of yourself, the recipient can do whatever they want with it. If you don’t really trust the person yet, reconsider sending nudes.
At the minimum, consider sending suggestive photos instead that don’t fully show your body and face. Sending to test your partner’s trustworthiness deliberately might not go the way you want it to go.
2. Do I want to show, or am I seeking validation?
Sharing nudes with a partner can be incredibly sexy…if that’s your actual intention. On the other hand, sending nudes with the attention of receiving validation could lead to hurt feelings if your partner doesn’t respond the way to want them to.
If you need validation that your partner is attracted to you, tell them that it doesn’t make you needy, it makes you human.
3. Do I have their consent to receive my nudes, or will this be a complete surprise?
Not everyone is comfortable receiving nudes for many different reasons, and that’s okay! This includes both men and women.
Normalizing consent in all of your relationships will only make those bonds stronger. Ask your partner first if they want to receive your nudes before sending them.
4. Do I want to send nudes, or do I feel I have to do this to please my partner?
Are you sending nudes because you want to or in response to a demand — explicit or implicit — made of you? No one has to send nude photos of themselves if they don’t want to, even if you are in a committed, long-term marriage.
Consent on both sides matters.
5. Do I look good in this, or do I look damn good in this photo?
You don’t have to look like a famous star to send great nudes, but you can excite yourself up to free like the sexiest version of yourself when you do.
The most important approval of your nude photos of your own.
Even if you don’t have someone in mind to send your photos to, taking them for yourself can be a fun way to explore how you express your sexuality and allow you to learn to drool over yourself.
Sending nudes is not a decision you should take lightly, nor is it a decision that should be made without thinking about the possible consequences.
If you share your nudes with someone and then break up, that person might be tempted to share them online or send them to people in your social circle. To help prevent this from happening, ask yourself these questions when considering whether you should send nudes.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: iStockPhoto.com
