Sexting

Sexting: we’ve all done it, despite whether or not we’re honest enough to admit it. Why do people do it? Enough people do it, so there’s got to be plenty of good reasons to, right? Well, yeah, sexting is fun and flirty, it’s sexy, and it’s totally trending right now. But, with nudity and technology comes some big issues that we should all take into consideration before sending a sext. There are a lot of negative, and even incriminating, consequences of sending sexy pictures that you need to know about.

1.If you’re under 18, it’s considered illegal.

What is more of a buzzkill than child pornography? But on the serious side, it’s a big deal and a big crime. If an individual under 18 sends a sexually explicit message or picture, they are creating and distributing child pornography. It doesn’t matter if an individual creates, distributes, or views child pornography; it is always considered a crime.

No one wants to be in that situation, right? Sending or receiving a nude selfie picture from someone under 18 could leave a nasty permanent mark on your record, and that’s not something that’s easy to come back from. On an even darker note, child pornographers and child predators could get their hands on your picture, which is one of the absolute worst things that could happen.

2. Your sext could land in the wrong hands.

With our technology today, a picture can be sent to an unlimited amount of people in an instant. The person you send a sexy picture to could end up being a totally creepy and attention-hungry weirdo, and they now have the potential to expose you to everyone.

Be careful about the people you trust with something so personal. The guy or girl you think you have a connection with could turn out to be a completely different person. And if you think the person you send the picture won’t send it to someone else, think again. A study concludes, “of those who reported receiving a sext, well over 25 percent said that they had forwarded it to someone else. ”Don’t ever send a sext to someone unless they are someone you know you can trust.

3. Your sext could follow you for the rest of your life.

Once any picture of yours is put out into the technological universe, it’s no longer yours to control. It’s truly out there forever! You might think you can delete it, but IT departments can retrieve deleted things from months, even years before. Not even Snapchat is safe; their servers have been hacked before, causing everyone’s private pictures to be exposed. One picture simply isn’t worth haunting you for the rest of your life.

4. Your reputation could be ruined.

We, unfortunately, live in a society full of judgment and ridicule, that’s just a simple fact of life. A tarnished reputation can be crippling, especially for students in high school and college. Sending a naked picture could brand a girl as a “slut” and subject her to brutal gossip, teasing, and even bullying. None of that is worth it just to send a nude picture to a crush or girlfriend/boyfriend.

5. Sexting can lead to brutal bullying, and eventually, self harm.

It’s a brutally sad but real consequence that sexting can lead to adolescents taking their own lives. A thirteen-year-old girl, Hope, from Florida, sent a topless picture of herself to a boy in hopes of getting attention, but, unfortunately, the picture got spread to numerous high schools. Hope endured so much brutal bullying that she could no longer tolerate it, and eventually took her own life. This is a sad reality that needs to be acknowledged; nothing can justify a young person taking their life.

 In today’s world of texting, sexting, social media, and sexual liberation, a new trend has arisen amongst us young folk, and it’s called casual sex. So what exactly is it? We’ve defined it as the act of hooking up with people you aren’t monogamous with and doing it well, pretty often. These “people” could be anyone: friends, coworkers (gasp), or randoms you meet in a bar. The point of it is, you aren’t dating these people, and it’s okay that you’re hooking up with more than just one person. Now that you know what it means, we’re going to give you ten important pros and cons of casual sex.

The Pros. 

No Strings Attached. 

One of the most ideal things about casually hooking up with someone is the simple fact that it’s casual- there aren’t any strings attached. You get in, you get it on, and then you get the hell out of dodge. It’s just sex, and that’s as simple as it gets. If it starts getting more complicated than that, you’re doing something wrong.

 It’s super convenient. 

Relationships aren’t convenient. It takes planning, it takes work, and it takes a lot of energy. Casual sex doesn’t require any of these things. It’s as convenient as sending a text saying “I’m horny, want to come over?” You can have it when you want it, and ditch it when you don’t.

You’re having sex.

I mean, who can say this part is a con? You’re having sex, and sex is great. Sex is proven to relieve stress, burn calories, and even strengthen your immune system. Who can argue with science?

No expectations.

Since neither of you is under the impression that this is going anywhere, you can feel more comfortable while you’re hooking up. You’re not even sure you’ll see this person again, so you can get weird with it. You can be less self-conscious and more carefree in the bedroom. 

You still have your freedom.

Casual sex is so common amongst college students because they don’t want the hassle of a relationship but want to hook up. You don’t date, you don’t fight, and sometimes even flirting is too much. You can still do whatever the hell you want with whoever you want. 

The Cons.

STDS and unplanned pregnancies.

 The above options are the worst of the worst. I think I can speak for everyone when I say no one wants the above to happen to them. If you do, you have some issues. One of the major downsides to casual sex is the chance of getting stuck with some not-so-fun consequences. To prevent these things from happening, use protection. It’s not brain surgery!

Walks of shame.

Although not the worst thing on the planet, walks of shame aren’t exactly ideal. Trekking 5-10 blocks in last night’s outfit at 9 am on a Friday is guaranteed to get some unwanted attention. Unfortunately, walks of shames are pretty inevitable with a casual fuck, so you’re just going to have to deal with this one. 

Your reputation.

Now, I’m all for not caring what other people think. But if you’re in a small circle, or go to a small school, word travels pretty fast if you’re getting around. Sometimes, this can potentially tarnish your reputation, especially if you’re a girl. No one wants to be labeled as “easy” or as “a player.” To keep this sort of gossip on the down low, all you can do is be careful about not hooking up with people with big mouths. 

One of you could get attached.

This is one of the worst consequences of casual sex: falling for them. Unfortunately, what usually happens is only one person wants to take it to the next level, and they get hurt when they’re rejected. This usually happens to girls, but it could happen to guys too. Things will get awkward real fast if you fall for your casual sex buddy, and they don’t feel the same way. Even worse, you could get heartbroken.

 Stage five clingers.

Beware of the stage five clingers. They aren’t fun, they aren’t logical, and they aren’t easy to get rid of. No one wants to deal with 10 missed calls and 15 unread texts from someone they had casual sex with once. If you think you’re dealing with a looney, get out while you can.