14 DAY TRIAL // For the first time since her iCloud account was hacked and she had dozens of very personal and very revealing photos leaked to the public, Jennifer Lawrence is addressing this painful topic in her new interview with Vanity Fair.
She points out that what happened to her and to many other female stars (and one male, Hulk Hogan’s son Nick) isn’t a “scandal” but a “crime,” and should be treated as such. She also goes to great lengths to underline that she didn’t “deserve” this just because she’s a public figure.
Being famous doesn’t mean you lose your right to privacy
When the first nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence started popping up online in what is now the biggest celebrity hacking of all times, not few were those rushing to say that she “deserved” what happened because she “should have known better,” as if being a public figure instantly ruled out her right to privacy.
There were also those who dubbed her “dumb” for taking nude selfies for whatever reason, because being a celebrity meant she was a likely target. The implication was that, if you’re famous, you should never ever take compromising photos of yourself, because you would be somehow “courting” a hacker to break in and steal them.
“Just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory. It’s my body, and it should be my choice, and the fact that it is not my choice is absolutely disgusting,” Jennifer tells Vanity Fair. “I can’t believe that we even live in that kind of world.”
She has absolutely nothing to apologize for
In her typical manner, Jennifer goes on to say that she initially wanted to write an apology to her fans, when it became clear to her that the leak couldn’t be contained. She stopped short of it because she realized she had nothing to apologize or feel sorry for.
At the time all those photos were taken, she was “in a loving, healthy, great relationship for four years” with Nicholas Hoult. Being both actors meant they spent a lot of time apart, so it was either this or they would lose the spark, the actress explains.
Since the photos were never meant to be made public, what does she have to apologize for? Absolutely nothing, she says.
Culprits must be brought to justice
In response to all those saying she willingly brought herself into this “scandal,” Jennifer tells Vanity Fair that this is now what this is. “It is a sex crime. It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting,” she adds.
Whoever is responsible for the leak should be brought to justice, just as it should happen to all those who made a profit off the illegally obtained photos. Jennifer doesn’t shy away from shaming those who looked at the photos too, because by consenting to click on the images, they became a part of the crime – and of one of our biggest problems as a society.
“It’s so beyond me. I just can’t imagine being that detached from humanity. I can’t imagine being that thoughtless and careless and so empty inside. Anybody who looked at those pictures, you’re perpetuating a sexual offense. You should cower with shame,” she says.
The FBI is still investigating to catch the guy or guys behind the hack.