The unfortunate reality of being a young girl in the music industry is that the promise of sexualisation, inappropriateness, and exploitation is plastered across the job description. Madison Beer, someone who’s been in the public eye since she was 13, is well versed in this seedy underbelly. And recently, the singer has been opening up about how her first foray into this kind of abuse and manipulation involved a boy she knew and trusted. A boy who made the decision to share private nude images of Beer with dozens of his friends, causing her great harm.

In March 2020, on International Women’s Day, Beer revealed in a lengthy post shared on X (formerly Twitter) that when she was around 14 “and exploring [her] body and sexuality,” she sent a private video on Snapchat to a boy she had known for years and had feelings for.

 

happy international women’s day. this feels really good. pic.twitter.com/FsBz4mQIbm

— madison beer (@madisonbeer) March 8, 2020

The ‘Selfish’ artist went on to explain how that boy subsequently sent that video to all of his friends without her consent, a decision that impacted Beer greatly. “I’d walk into restaurants and be stared at and whispered about, I was told people were ashamed to be working, or even friends, with me. These videos were even shown to my parents, grandparents, and significant people, executives, and artists, in the music industry.” Beer wrote.

 

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A post shared by Madison Beer (@madisonbeer)

The 26-year-old has always been very vocal about her mental health, releasing a book in 2023 titled The Half of It: A Memoir which touched upon an incredibly difficult time in her life when she attempted to commit suicide. Speaking about those struggles in an interview with Forbes, the singer said: “If I were to have been successful in my suicide attempt, people would have been like, ‘Oh my goodness we had no idea… that’s so horrible.’ But of course, since I’m still alive that empathy is sadly lacking.”

Beer also discussed the harrowing experience of having her nudes leaked on the Call Her Daddy podcast with host Alex Cooper:

@madibeerfansx

she was just 15 years old… this makes me so sad. #fyp #madisonbeer #madisonbeervideos #callherdaddy

♬ original sound - madibeerfansx

Fast forward to 2025 and, during a discussion with Cosmopolitan, the singer explained that she had reconnected with the individual in question. “The boy who the whole nude situation happened with, he reached out to me and was like, ‘I had no idea that I hurt you like this. I’m so sorry.’ I don’t know how it feels to be a 14-year-old boy receiving photos of a girl. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I don’t think he was being malicious showing them to his friends. He was a kid,” she explained.

I think it’s fair to say that Beer has taken an incredibly mature approach to this situation, something that is even more impressive given the amount of hypersexualisation she’s had to endure over the past decade. Good on you girl, your strength is inspiring.