It takes a lot for me to unfollow someone on Instagram, but as soon as I saw the picture a follower of mine reposted on their story, I felt compelled to do so immediately.
The image was of a smirking face, with a caption that read something like, “Tbh, the Wisconsin volleyball team pictures kinda mid.” It genuinely took me by surprise, and pushed me to reflect back upon the perception of women in today’s society.
If you weren’t aware, last year, the University of Wisconsin’s Women’s Volleyball team took home the title of NCAA champions after a victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Following their big win, the girls headed to the locker room to do some celebrating, part of which included taking explicit photos. High-off adrenaline and big post-game success, many of the players were photographed flashing the cameras. Although these images were taken privately, and players never consented to them being shared, they were recently leaked on Twitter over a year later, and the internet is now having a field day with them.
“I’m going to willingly flash my tits to someone clearly taking pictures, and posing happily for said pics, but now be upset they were shared. Ok.” wrote one user.
“That’s horrible!!! Where are these pics?” another sarcastically asked.
If people aren’t begging for links to see the images, they’re scrutinizing or objectifying the women for posing in them, which brings up an important conversation about privacy. While some are quick to blame the girls — citing the unreliable nature of the internet — others are finding a problem with the unidentified person who leaked the images in the first place.
The law in Wisconsin carries an up to $10,000 fine for anyone who leaks or spreads images depicting nudity without the pictured person’s consent, and UWPD is still currently investigating the case. In response, the university’s athletic department issues a statement, that fortunately took the side of the players:
“Our top priority is supporting our student-athletes and we are providing them with the appropriate services and resources.”
Although it is easy to get caught up in the moment, the real question that remains is how to handle situations like this one. Though it is true that once something is on the internet, it’s there for life, the premise is that the girls did not consent to have these pictures posted — they were taken in private, and it was assumed they would remain private.
But despite the news and the internet buzz around it, the team once again took to the courts to play in a match against Michigan and walked away crushing them in a score of 3-1. I find it refreshing that the University has the back of its athletes, and is focusing its primary efforts on finding out who may have released the photos.
However, what I still come back to is that Instagram post I saw. Not only have internet trolls and other harsh critics been sexualizing and lusting over these unconsented images, but many are also now objectifying them. To make judgments about an entire group of women, not only for posing in such a manner but also for how they look, is the most primary display of misogyny I can imagine. People who make posts asking for links or criticizing the girls’ bodies are doing so without their consent, which in my eyes, makes them just as complacent as the person who initially spread the images.
Regardless of what these women did, they did not ask to have these photos posted, they did not ask the entire web to give their input on their actions, nor did they ask for anyone’s criticism of their appearance. A plethora of sports teams have had their locker room photos released, but it seems outcry has only come out when it was women who were exposing themselves rather than men. It holds girls everywhere to an inequitable standard of modesty and sends the message that to be respected, you must retain a very pure image of yourself.
Let it be clear that it is not the team who is at fault here, but rather those who continue to sit behind a screen and scrutinize their choices and appearances.
