A 2018 YouGov poll found that four in 10 women aged between 18 and 36 have been sent a photograph of a penis without having asked for one. Unsolicited dick pics are one of the many drawbacks of the digital era. I’ve received some, you probably have too, and the mere thought of anyone else having to go through the same thing sickens me. Until now, few solutions were offered as means to solve this alternative pandemic. As Tinder recently announced its plans for testing a new AI that monitors DMs in order to cool down the creeps, many highlighted how social media platforms barely did anything to stop those same creeps from sliding into your DMs.
What if I told you that there’s a brand new solution that has appeared, one that, although not fully perfect, comes with an important revenge factor? You’ve heard of NFTs by now, and the many ways people are jumping on the bandwagon—from Cara Delevingne auctioning off an NFT about her vagina to the most popular memes getting sold one after the other more recently, it’s safe to say that anyone can try their hand at coming up with their own non-fungible token.
Zoe Scaman, creative strategist and founder of Bodacious, might just take the cake with her take: using NFT technology to stop men from sending unsolicited dick pics. Scaman, along with some help from the duo Very Serious, turned this idea into a real website. On 24 March, 2021, NFT the DP was created with the simple aim to help even the least tech-savvy among us turn dick pics into cash.
The process is as simple as it gets: if you received an unsolicited nude, you can go on NFT the DP, pay the minting price, upload the dick pic, and start minting. Although the site doesn’t do everything for you, it offers a relatively short list of instructions on how to mint an NFT using two pieces of readily available software, MetaMask and Mintable. This process allows you to create a permanent record on the blockchain ledger of that dick pic with the name of the sender attached as the artist.
The website also includes instructions for what to do if your dick pic has been turned into an NFT by a scorned receiver—if they’ve gotten “NFTDPd.” Those instructions are purposefully less clear, with a generally taunting tone: pay for the NFT, if you can afford it, and send it to a burner wallet. “If you can’t afford it…too bad lol,” the instructions read.
While some of you might find this revengeful punishment too harsh, it is important to note that cyber-flashing is a form of harassment—yet there are no laws explicitly banning the practice in the vast majority of the world. In more extreme cases, law enforcement has used anti-harassment laws to cover it, but for the most part, the law hasn’t caught up with this phenomenon. In the UK, cyber-flashing can potentially fall within the offences of harassment or public nuisance. The same behaviour has been illegal in Scotland since 2010, but England and Wales still don’t have specific laws against it.
The same problem can now be seen with the rise of deepfake porn and deepnudes. The law is yet to catch up on new technologies and the risks they represent. That being said, the legality of NFT the DP also stands on shaky ground, given that revenge porn laws vary greatly by locality.
So, next time you receive an unsolicited nude—because, sadly, they probably will be a next time—be sure to explore your options and potentially consider revenge. You might even end up getting some dolla dolla.
Cara Delevigne is auctioning off a piece of art about her vagina. Yes, you read that correctly. On Friday 14 May, the English model and actress announced the news in an Instagram video where she stood naked, narrating a monologue about her vagina. The unique NFT made by Delevingne herself, famous for her appearance in Suicide Squad, in collaboration with Chemical X Lab, will go up for digital auction on 22 May 2021.
In the video about her NFT release, she stated, “My first word was ‘mine’. To me, that means something that is most mine, my vagina. I own it. It’s mine and no one else’s. I choose what I do with it. And no one can take that away from me.” And to be honest, I fully support her, and you should too. Not only is she tapping into the lucrative NFT market to be rightfully rewarded for her creative work, but she’s also breaking stereotypes concerning body image and ownership—all while raising money for environmental causes, LGBTQIA+ communities, anti-racism causes, and the list goes on!
If somehow you’ve missed the NFT craze, we’ve already covered how the technology is the innovative future of digital ownership—it could be a gamechanger for all forms of the creative industry, from fashion all the way to struggling writers. But if you don’t fancy going down the rabbit hole, let me briefly explain NFTs for you.
A non-fungible token, NFT for short, is a unique digital token encrypted with an artist’s signature, which acts as a verification of ownership and authenticity and is permanently attached to the piece. It allows for original versions of content, anything from memes to tweets can be sold as cryptocurrency—similar to how traditional pieces of art can be auctioned off for insane prices, often by absurdly rich out-of-touch art critics.
But thanks to NFTs, the once out of reach art marketplace is now accessible to anyone with a computer and internet connection—meaning you can be in with a chance of digitally owning Delevingne’s vagina monologue. That being said, these NFTs are selling at high prices, so don’t go thinking you’ll be able to buy a digital Mona Lisa with some spare pennies you have lying around any time soon.
Despite the eye catching and thought-provoking nature of her art, there’s also a number of reasons that sets it apart from the crowded NFT market. First, in light of how damaging cryptocurrency can be to the environment—a reason for why Elon Musk pulled Bitcoin from Tesla, causing market prices to plummet—Delevingne’s NFT will be the first in the world to be minted on Bitcoin rather than Ethereum, using no new energies to create it. Delevingne’s edition is the first in a series that will repeatedly feature NFT artworks from Fatboy Slim, Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, and the electric duo Orbital.
The money raised will go towards a good cause too. Delevingne’s work will be in collaboration with Chemical X to benefit her foundation, The Cara Delevingne Foundation, an organisation that supports women’s empowerment, environmental causes, LGBTQIA+ rights and tackling institutional racism while also offering COVID-19 relief. The official Chemical X website notes that “Cara’s support for women and girls and the LGBTQ community is one of the driving forces behind her foundation and her decision to make this artwork with Chemical X.”
Lastly, Delevingne’s art is a statement on body ownership and image, setting an example for young women who are struggling with these issues themselves. The artwork couldn’t come at a better time, as women’s rights and the #MeToo movement are at the forefront of our public discourse, highlighting the deep gender inequality in our society. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Delevingne noted, “I want this to remind people of how incredibly powerful they are, what a beautiful thing their bodies are and to take pride in that.”