Old mate Jesse Willesee is at it again. And this time, he brought dick pics.
The conceptual artist wants to tackle the issue of consent when sending n00dz. According to Jesse, the vast majority of women don’t find unsolicited dick pics sexy at all. Probably because, like… if women wanted a picture of someone’s genitals, they’d ask for it, y’know?
When consent has been established, requesting nude imagery from someone you are sexually interested in is one thing; being sent random pictures of genitalia while you are going about your day, getting on the bus, or trying to concentrate at work is a totally different issue. It can be distressing, and can trigger feelings of violation. Pushing your sexual organs on to a person who has not consented – regardless of whether it is in physical or digital form – is sexual assault. Which is why many have started referring to unsolicited dick pics as ‘digital rape’.
While women seem to have this conversation down pat, it seems to be a concept that a lot of young men struggle to comprehend – and that’s what Jesse wants to change:
“I have a lot of young dudes following me on Instagram and seeing my work online, and I think that gives me an opportunity to reach them. Because dudes need to be saying to other dudes – this isn’t cool. This is bad behaviour, this is harassment. You’re doing something that not only hurts women, but hurts you.”
So, as you are undoubtedly about to angrily mash into the Facebook comment section of this article, ‘why release photos of yourself taking dick pics, if you’re against it!!~!1!’. Well, because Jesse wants to show how weird, grimly raw and ‘unpalatable’ the process of taking dick pics can be:
“Honestly it’s kind of gross,” Jesse laughs. “It was important for me that the images looked very real and not glamorous. You take this ugly photo – and then send it to a stranger? It’s really ridiculous when you think about it. And trust me – pretty much nobody thinks it’s sexy getting an unwanted picture of a penis from a stranger”.
“There was a time when I was naïve to these issues. Maybe if men won’t listen to their friends and girlfriends, they will listen each other. Men need to have these conversations.“
To check out more of Jesse’s work, hit up his website: jessewillesee.com
Images supplied via Jesse Willesee.
This topic has gotten a heap of press coverage this year. If you’d like to read more about the difference between consensual image sharing and digital rape, check ou these stories for more info:
- Clementine Ford Calls Out The Douchebags That Sent Her Nude Images
- Some Douchebags Leaked Hundreds of Aussie Women’s Nudes Online
- Ruby Rose Calls Out The Mag Who Published Topless Images Of Her
According to Australian Institute of Family Studies, 1 in 5 women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. Publicly sharing intimate images is a form of electronic sexual violence if no consent was given for the distribution. If you have been affected by this story, you can receive support and advice from 1800RESPECT. You can talk via online chat, or call 1800 737 732.
