Kim Kardashian strips bare for GQ

After a tense week for the various female celebrities who have had their privacy compromised with Apple’s iCloud, we’ve been chatting in the office about female nudity and the fact that it’s only ok when the person in question has given consent and is aware that the photos will reach the public domain. Common sense.

If such imagery has found its way online without the consent of the individual – such as Jennifer Lawrence – it cannot be considered ‘art’. It’s a complete and total violation of her privacy and her body, along with the other women who’ve found themselves unfortunately embroiled in this mess. Naturally, women everywhere will be further outraged to learn of a new horrible art exhibition in which J-Law’s photos will be blown up for all to see on life-size canvases, all in the name of ‘art’, as Cosmopolitan report.

Though we’re sure that legal action will ensue, the LA based artist who goes by the moniker XVALA is said to have full plans to go ahead with his exhibition entitled ‘Fear Google’. XVALA’s publicist argues that this exhibition will “help strengthen the ongoing debate over privacy in the digital era.” Both Lawrence and Kate Upton’s nude photos (the two were among the first celebrities to confirm the hacked pictures’ authenticity) will feature, “printed on canvas,” E! Online reveal.

But we’re all already well aware of the problem; this will serve only to perpetuate it and cause greater upset to those involved, garnering cheap attention for the artist who’s really just joining in on the violation. Were Jennifer and Kate involved from the get-go this would be an altogether different story and only then would the word ‘art’ come into play.

Kim Kardashian is one woman who straddles both sides. She was one of the people originally listed as being part of this privacy scandal but she’s also just recently taken to Instagram to share her consensual nude photos for the next GQ magazine, highlighting the very important difference of when such imagery is ok, and indeed artistic, and when it’s absolutely not.

While sharing Jennifer Lawrence’s images, for example, would be a violation on our part of the actress’s privacy, sharing Kim’s GQ spread, which celebrates the female form with the reality star’s consent, is where the difference lies.

What’s your take?

@CarolineForan