5 Personal Stories

1 EXPOSED

Ellie Snipes* laid in her bed at home, relaxing after a long day in middle school. After getting a notification on her phone from James Fruin*, a boy she recently started seeing exclusively, she opened her Snapchat and saw that he messaged her, asking for a nude photo. Feeling safe in the new relationship, Ellie sent the requested photo, which opened a gate to an influx of problems. His requests continued and one after the other, Ellie sent the intimate photos.

Later, Ellie found out James had cheated on her, and she quickly ended the relationship. Hurt by this, James posted her nudes on social media and sent them to his friends. Many of their fellow classmates saw these photos and harshly judged Ellie. Previously seen as a quiet and sweet girl in class, Ellie became the target of vicious name-calling and disrespect.

“It caused guys to think they could always ask for nudes, and that I would always send them. They thought they could just use me and I’d be fine with it,” says Ellie, who also felt the consequences of her actions at home. Her parents were extremely disappointed in her