Dear V: Scared of a screenshot share

Dear V,

A few weeks ago, I exchanged numbers with a guy from class. Between phone calls, texting, Snapchat and Facebook, it’s almost as if he’s more of a pen pal than a real person who’s interested in me. My friends are annoyed that I’m texting him all the time, but I’m afraid to stop, even though I know this is going nowhere. The problem is, a few days ago, our conversation got a little steamy. I Snapped him some nude pictures that were just for him, but I got a notification that he took screenshots! I’m afraid to stop talking to him, in fear that he’ll get angry and send the pictures to my friends. I would be humiliated. What should I do?

Sincerely,

Candid Camera

Dear Candid Camera,

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and honey, those are a thousand words you can never take back. You’re not Kim Kardashian on the cover of Papermag, blowing up the internet with her bodacious booty, so stop kidding yourself. You’re a college student who has made a mistake.

I shouldn’t have to say it, but do not send pictures of yourself that you wouldn’t show to your own mother. I understand what you’re feeling in the “heat of the moment” – believe me, I’ve been on the receiving end of more than a few sultry shots myself – but that excuse won’t stop you from being mortified when you see your own naked rump plastered all over the Internet.

With all these nudes, sexts, booty calls and Snaps, the only person you can count on to have your back is yourself. We live in a world where information can be instantly accessed 24/7, and if you give somebody the power of owning a piece of you; you can’t ask for it back.

My only advice is to learn from this social media fiasco and never send R-rated pictures again. Of course, if you’ve got a few scandalous bits that might make your guy shake in his boots if they were to come out, you could threaten to do the same to him if he were to ever leak your precious nudes. Then again, do you really want to be the girl behind “#NudeGate?”

Learn from this, and keep the nudity in the bedroom. No need to get screens, apps, texts, or messages involved. If you keep it that way, it will be more special for you and the lucky guy who gets to see you – three-dimensional you, of course.

V