Salon.com > Sexting http://www.salon.com Fri, 03 May 2013 03:47:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Send her your sexts http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/send_her_your_sexts/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/send_her_your_sexts/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 21:16:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287973 If you've ever sent a nudie pic to your significant other, and you've wondered what the grainy image would look like in the hands of a master portraitist -- a da Vinci, say, or a Caravaggio -- performance artist Karen Finley is about to make your kinky art history nerd dreams come true. From May 23 to May 26, the artist is asking the public to send her their personal sexts, which she will reproduce as a series of paintings in an installation at the New Museum.

The process works like this: for a fee ($200 for a work on paper, $500 for an oil on canvas), the exhibitionistically inclined can arrange brief private sittings with Finley. They'll be given the artist's private phone number and can snap away. Once Finley has received the photos, she'll translate them into a series of paintings to be publicly displayed in the New Museum lobby. After the exhibition closes on May 26, the subjects can take home their work to be stored as a memento of free-spirited youth, or hung in the living room to the chagrin of friends and family.

Finley, a professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, has never shied away from controversy. In 1990, she was one of four artists whose NEA grants were revoked on the grounds that their work was obscene. "Sext Me If You Can" is presented by NE 4 In Residence, which revisits the four grant recipients' work.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/send_her_your_sexts/feed/ 1 Must-see morning clip: Anthony Weiner gears for a comeback http://www.salon.com/2013/04/11/must_see_morning_clip_anthony_weiner_gears_for_a_comeback/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/11/must_see_morning_clip_anthony_weiner_gears_for_a_comeback/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:22:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13267898 Former Rep. Anthony Weiner is considering a mayoral run for New York. Cue the obligatory sex jokes, à la "The Colbert Report":

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/11/must_see_morning_clip_anthony_weiner_gears_for_a_comeback/feed/ 2 Who cares about seeing Ashley Judd naked? http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/who_cares_about_seeing_ashley_judd_naked/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/who_cares_about_seeing_ashley_judd_naked/#comments Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13219532 You have probably seen Ashley Judd naked. The Daily Caller would like to remind you of this in the context of her probable plans to run for Senate in Kentucky. The question is, does anyone care anymore about whom they've seen naked? And if they do, will they care in a decade or two?

Yes, the Daily Caller piece, to which I refuse to link, was sexist and gross. It was, as ThinkProgress's Alyssa Rosenberg put it, "part and parcel of the right’s current strategy to discredit promising female advocates," and "an attempt to make her seem less serious by impugning her sexual chastity." Was Scott Brown's strategically placed arm over the flesh he bared in Cosmo the difference between his getting elected to the Senate and not, or was it the double standard?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/who_cares_about_seeing_ashley_judd_naked/feed/ 61 FBI agents use government BlackBerrys for sexting http://www.salon.com/2013/02/22/fbi_agents_use_government_blackberrys_for_sexting/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/22/fbi_agents_use_government_blackberrys_for_sexting/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:20:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13208498 Here's the official line from FBI assistant director Candice Will on the use of agency BlackBerry phones by employees: "When you are given an FBI BlackBerry, it's for official use. It's not to text the woman in another office who you found attractive or to send a picture of yourself in a state of undress. That is not why we provide you an FBI BlackBerry."

Will offered this sage advice to agents on CNN Thursday, following the leak of an internal FBI memo to the network that detailed a string of indiscretions and abuses perpetrated by unnamed agents -- among them, "used government-issued Blackberry to send sexually explicit messages to another employee."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/22/fbi_agents_use_government_blackberrys_for_sexting/feed/ 4 Vine: The future of sex? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/31/vine_the_future_of_sex/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/31/vine_the_future_of_sex/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13185517 As Twitter's new video-sharing app battles the inevitable proliferation of porn, I can't help wondering what Vine could mean for the future of sexting and amateur smut. (I mean, aside from the prospect of an annoying new portmanteau to describe the act of digitally sharing naked media.) This question is admittedly a bit premature -- Vine, which limits clips to six seconds, doesn't offer a way to privately and directly share videos -- but it's easy to imagine such a development, if not on the part of the app's makers than by some enterprising tech vulture. And while the app has begun blocking searches for terms like "sex" and "NSFW," presumably to avoid violating Apple's puritanical standards, loads of X-rated material is still available; it's just harder to find. (One must know which accounts to follow, or get creative with keyword and username searches.) There's already at least one independent NSFW site compiling naughty vines, and the app's only been around for a few days.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/31/vine_the_future_of_sex/feed/ 4 Is Anthony Weiner back on Twitter? http://www.salon.com/2012/11/07/is_anthony_weiner_back_on_twitter/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/07/is_anthony_weiner_back_on_twitter/#comments Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:22:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13065495 After a sexually explicit photo on Twitter landed former Rep. Anthony Weiner in a sexting scandal (dubbed "Weinergate" by the media) the New York representative resigned from Congress on June 16, 2011. His Twitter account has, unsurprisingly, remained inactive since then.

That is, until today. Perhaps inspired by the dire need for relief from Hurricane Sandy, Weiner tweeted a link to a video called "Rockaway needs us" to his followers:

[embed_tweet id="266192356708077568"]

Although it might signal nothing significant for Weiner, the Observer points out that the tweet could be "an attempt to dip his toe into the water for a return to the public eye," as some believe he may eventually seek to reboot his political career.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/07/is_anthony_weiner_back_on_twitter/feed/ 1 Twitter is for lovers http://www.salon.com/2012/09/19/twitter_is_for_lovers/ http://www.salon.com/2012/09/19/twitter_is_for_lovers/#comments Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13014018 A man I never met broke my heart. He followed me on Twitter, on the account I use for occupiers and politics. We flirted about anything: waterfalls, suede boots, doughnuts. He was witty, attentive, charming. His punctuation was exquisite. After dark, we sparked.

I was on my way to New York for a wedding, and thought he'd said he lived there. When I hinted about meeting, he promised to open the door naked. So I sent a private message to find out if he was in the city. He was home watching a movie and ended up telling me about being betrayed by his ex. I tried cheering him up.

You’re funny, he said.

We should write a comedy, I replied, only half-joking.

He sent me the clip from “King Kong” where Adrian Brody kisses Naomi Watts for the first time. It was the most romantic thing anyone had done in ages.

Where are you? I asked. I was lying in the hall on my stomach like a schoolgirl, feet in the air.

Hmmm. Okay. I am at my desk, in my bedroom, in my apartment. lol

Q: Where are you?

Somehow we ended up playing stripTwitter. Hours later, tangled in bedsheets, battery dying, I was grinning but still didn’t know where he lived.

So you enjoyed? Is it common on Twitter? I should think it is.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/09/19/twitter_is_for_lovers/feed/ 20 Anthony Weiner gets feminized http://www.salon.com/2012/07/18/anthony_weiner_gets_feminized/ http://www.salon.com/2012/07/18/anthony_weiner_gets_feminized/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:28:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12959864 In Anthony Weiner's first joint interview with wife Huma Abedin one thing sticks out (aside from the photo of their absurdly adorable 6-month-old): He's doing the laundry. Abedin tells People, "Anthony has spent every day since [the scandal] trying to be the best dad and husband he can be," and the magazine immediately follows up the quote with proof. It turns out Weiner "does all the laundry." What a catch, that guy!

Sorry to be cynical here -- I mean, I  hope he really does do all the dirty laundry -- but there's a Downy whiff of political calculation here. Is there a more obvious way to show that the sext-crazed ex-congressman has been reformed than to paint him as a laundering hausfrau? Behold, domesticated, feminized Weiner! The Daily Mail went so far as to accompany its coverage of the People interview with a photo of him picking up Abedin's dry cleaning. You know a man's in the doghouse when he's doing women's work. Next up I expect a GQ photo shoot of Weiner -- laundry basket on one hip, baby on the other.

To be clear, I don't care how the couple has privately dealt with his sex scandal. What interests me is how Weiner may be attempting to "make it up" to the general public, especially amid rumors of a run for mayor of New York.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/07/18/anthony_weiner_gets_feminized/feed/ 19 How to protect your naked photos http://www.salon.com/2011/09/16/scar_jo/ http://www.salon.com/2011/09/16/scar_jo/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:20:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life//feature/2011/09/15/scar_jo It isn't just Scarlett Johansson and other recently exposed celebrities and politicians who should be concerned about protecting their naughty cellphone snapshots. The FBI may be investigating hacks of roughly 50 celebrities, but many more ordinary folks have had their naked photos hacked and stolen within the past year. So, how do you protect yourself?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/09/16/scar_jo/feed/ 34 Anthony Weiner: What the hell was that? http://www.salon.com/2011/06/06/weiner_breitbart_press_conference/ http://www.salon.com/2011/06/06/weiner_breitbart_press_conference/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:38:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/06/06/weiner_breitbart_press_conference As I always say, never trust anything you see on an Andrew Breitbart-published site until it's confirmed by a third party. And ... Anthony Weiner helpfully confirmed that BigGovernment.com has been mostly right about him, in a bizarre press conference late this afternoon. Long story short, despite the fact that it seemed exceedingly unlikely that the congressman was sending dirty pictures of himself to random women he only knew via Twitter, that is, apparently, a thing he enjoys doing. It is a thing he has done with "around six women," none of whom he met in person, both before and during his marriage.

And who am I to judge? (I am a blogger.) If Anthony Weiner is cybersexing and phone-sexing with women across the nation, that is his god-given right as an American.

The press conference itself was a perfectly insane cap to a week of increasingly bizarre stories. It began when Breitbart ... crashed it, and yelled about Salon.com and Joan Walsh for a while. Why was he there and who allowed him to speak? Does Weiner even have a staff, anymore? (Andrew: You will get no apology from us -- or from me at least! -- because sometimes even complete frauds get lucky. I don't apologize to Glenn Beck the twice a year he's right about something, either.) It ended with someone from Howard Stern's show asking Weiner if he was "fully erect" as the weepy congressman exited the room. In the middle, Weiner cried, said he was stupid, and admitted he lied. As Choire Sicha noted, his wife was nowhere to be seen.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/06/06/weiner_breitbart_press_conference/feed/ 102 New York’s ironic teen “sexting” law http://www.salon.com/2011/06/06/new_york_sexting_law_weiner/ http://www.salon.com/2011/06/06/new_york_sexting_law_weiner/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:07:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/06/06/new_york_sexting_law_weiner New York lawmakers are trying to advance a bill that would create an "educational reform" program for teenagers who get in trouble for "sexting," the Wall Street Journal reports. Amidst Weinergate, it's hard to ignore the irony that New York's politicians seem in as much need of "sexting" education as its young people.

The "Cyber Crime Youth Rescue Act" would give prosecutors and judges a more lenient option for dealing with minors accused of using their phones, email or social networking platforms to distribute naked or sexually explicit pictures of themselves or friends (which could constitute child pronography if minors are featured).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/06/06/new_york_sexting_law_weiner/feed/ 1 Why do men take crotch shots? http://www.salon.com/2011/06/02/crotch_shot/ http://www.salon.com/2011/06/02/crotch_shot/#comments Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:06:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life//feature/2011/06/02/crotch_shot We don't know whether we've all seen Rep. Anthony Weiner's wiener -- and, apparently, neither does he. What we do know, though, is that the schlong shot is having its day.

Before the New York congressman's Twitter scandal, there were of course the Brett Favre and Kanye West incidents -- but you need only go as far as Craigslist's casual encounters, Chatroulette or certain 20-something dudes' iPhones for proof that it isn't just male celebrities who are ready for their crotch close-up. It's often intended as a come-on, but the common response from women -- particularly when it is unsolicited  -- is, "Ew, gross."

So: What's with the penis pics?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/06/02/crotch_shot/feed/ 82 Right-wingers really, really, really hoping Anthony Weiner story holds up http://www.salon.com/2011/05/31/weiner_goldberg/ http://www.salon.com/2011/05/31/weiner_goldberg/#comments Tue, 31 May 2011 19:30:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/05/31/weiner_goldberg It is certainly possible that Representative Anthony Weiner sexted a young woman who lives in Washington state. My own theory, based primarily on the fact that the only person who seemed to notice the Tweet supposedly sent by Weiner was a creepy right-winger who is obsessed with the New York Democrat, is that one or more of the congressman's social networking profiles were phished or otherwise compromised, as he says. But I could be wrong! (I'm also inclined to believe that if Weiner were sending inappropriate photos to young women, he'd send them directly and not via a public photo-sharing site. But politicians do dumb things!)

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/05/31/weiner_goldberg/feed/ 74 We have no one to blame for celebrity hackers but ourselves http://www.salon.com/2011/03/18/celebrity_hackers_tmz_vanessa_hudgens/ http://www.salon.com/2011/03/18/celebrity_hackers_tmz_vanessa_hudgens/#comments Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:19:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/feature/2011/03/18/celebrity_hackers_tmz_vanessa_hudgens When naked photos of Vanessa Hudgens began surfacing on the Internet in 2009, the "Beastly" star sued the website that posted them, MoeJackson.com, claiming the photos were obtained by "unknown methods."  Which at the time, didn't strike anyone as particularly odd: Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Demi Lovato have all had friends or acquaintances leak photos of the stars either nude or posing suggestively. But this week even more photos of the young actress were being shopped around the Internet -- strangely, not even TMZ was tempted to buy them -- and were taken from the same batch as the originals.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/03/18/celebrity_hackers_tmz_vanessa_hudgens/feed/ 27 How to fix “sexting” laws http://www.salon.com/2011/03/15/sexting_2/ http://www.salon.com/2011/03/15/sexting_2/#comments Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:28:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life//feature/2011/03/15/sexting I just recently performed an archaeological dig on my childhood closet, which has been perfectly preserved in the state it was in when I flew the nest. Amid all the empty bottles of Smirnoff Ice and aimlessly doodled-on binders, I found a stockpile of what might be referred to in court as "child pornography" -- but it was self-made with my high school boyfriend. The first thought I had when I saw the images -- black-and-white printouts from a webcam -- was how sweet the shots were, despite being mildly explicit. Here were two teenagers safely and lovingly exploring their bodies and sexualities -- and because the images were kept strictly for our eyes only, they maintained that innocence.

That's why I'm encouraged by news that late yesterday New Jersey approved a bill that would allow teenagers caught "sexting" to avoid being prosecuted as child pornographers. The bill is based on the wacky notion that teens shouldn't be labeled as sex offenders for the rest of their lives for taking dirty self-portraits, or possessing X-rated photos of their sweetheart who, in many cases, they are legally allowed to have sex with. (Although, that was not the case for me, as the age of consent in California is 18. Whoops.) This measure is a great step toward a saner adult attitude toward teen sexuality, and other states should look to it as a blueprint. But there's also room for improvement.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/03/15/sexting_2/feed/ 34 NFL fines Favre $50,000 for “failure to cooperate” http://www.salon.com/2010/12/29/fbn_favre_investigation_1/ http://www.salon.com/2010/12/29/fbn_favre_investigation_1/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:31:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/12/29/fbn_favre_investigation_1 The NFL has fined Brett Favre $50,000 for a "failure to cooperate" with the investigation into allegations he sent inappropriate messages and lewd photos to a former New York Jets game-day hostess.

The league says Commissioner Roger Goodell "could not conclude" that Favre violated the league's personal conduct policy based on the evidence currently available.

The league's statement also says Goodell determined Favre was "not candid in several respects during the investigation resulting in a longer review and additional negative public attention for Favre, (Jenn) Sterger and the NFL." The league's investigation began in October and the fine was announced Wednesday.

Favre allegedly sent messages and photos to Sterger two years ago when they were both with the Jets. The allegations against the 41-year-old Minnesota Vikings quarterback surfaced on the website Deadspin.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Brett Favre will be fined but not suspended for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after the league's investigation into allegations he sent inappropriate messages and lewd photos to a former New York Jets game hostess, The Associated Press has learned.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/12/29/fbn_favre_investigation_1/feed/ 10 Source: NFL to fine Favre for sexting http://www.salon.com/2010/12/29/fbn_favre_investigation/ http://www.salon.com/2010/12/29/fbn_favre_investigation/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:12:33 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/12/29/fbn_favre_investigation Brett Favre will be fined but not suspended for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after the league's investigation into allegations he sent inappropriate messages and lewd photos to a former New York Jets game hostess, The Associated Press has learned.

A person familiar with the decision says the league plans to announce its decision within the next 48 hours. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the NFL had not yet released its decision.

The person did not specify what the league found in its investigation.

The punishment was first reported by Fox Sports' Jay Glazer.

Favre allegedly sent the messages and photos to Jenn Sterger two years ago when they were both with the Jets in 2008. The allegations against the 41-year-old Minnesota Vikings quarterback surfaced in October on the website Deadspin.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/12/29/fbn_favre_investigation/feed/ 4 Alleged Favre target hires legal counsel http://www.salon.com/2010/10/20/fbn_nfl_favre_sterger/ http://www.salon.com/2010/10/20/fbn_nfl_favre_sterger/#comments Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:28:30 +0000 http://www.salon.com/sports/feature/2010/10/20/fbn_nfl_favre_sterger The ex-New York Jets employee involved in the allegation against Brett Favre has hired a lawyer.

Former Jets game emcee Jenn Sterger has hired the Long Island-based law firm of LaRusso and Conway to advise her throughout the process. Sterger's manager Phil Reese says Wednesday the decision was made "after much deliberation."

Lawyer Joseph Conway said Wednesday his firm will advise Sterger "and pursue any potential remedies that may exist." Conway declined to comment further.

Favre spoke with an NFL security official Tuesday about graphic photos and inviting messages he allegedly sent to Sterger two years ago when they were both with the Jets.

Sterger has not commented on the website Deadspin's report.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/10/20/fbn_nfl_favre_sterger/feed/ 3 Forget trying to censor teen “sexting” http://www.salon.com/2010/10/14/sexting_censors/ http://www.salon.com/2010/10/14/sexting_censors/#comments Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:01:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet//2010/10/14/sexting_censors The Wall Street Journal's numbers-heavy piece today on "the texting revolution" beautifully underscores the absurdity of Apple's newly-approved patent for what is being widely referred to as "anti-sexting" software. "The average 13- to 17-year-old sends and receives 3,339 texts a month -- more than 100 per day," according to the article. Parents can learn two things from this: 1.) For the love of your checkbook, go for the plan with unlimited texts, and 2.) All attempts at censoring kids' fast-finger-talking are futile.

The patent is more generally for software that filters "inappropriate" content, and this includes a "parental control application" that "evaluates whether or not the communication contains approved text based on, for example, objective ratings criteria or a user's age or grade level, and, if unauthorized, prevents such text from being included in the text-based communication." The program can then tattle on the teen whenever it comes across "unauthorized" content. It sounds a whole lot like Web monitoring software that supposedly keeps kids from finding porn or talking to pervy strangers online.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/10/14/sexting_censors/feed/ 33 “Sexting” D.A. to resign http://www.salon.com/2010/09/27/kratz/ http://www.salon.com/2010/09/27/kratz/#comments Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:26:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet//2010/09/27/kratz Top Republican prosecutor Ken Kratz is stepping down. It seems sending text message come-ons to a domestic abuse victim and a woman seeking his support in a drug charge pardon, and allegedly inviting a woman to an autopsy -- for a date -- has finally caught up to him. The Calumet County district attorney plans to resign by the beginning of October, when a removal hearing is scheduled, his attorney announced Monday. Basically, Kratz, who is already on indefinite paid medical leave, is taking off before Gov. Jim Doyle gets a chance to kick him out. Well played, sir, well played.

A question remains, however: Why did the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which knew about Kratz's text messages to the domestic abuse victim, clear him without even an interview?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/09/27/kratz/feed/ 3