Women with low self-esteem and cameras

@pendragon (3348)
United States
August 11, 2007 4:21pm CST
I have known my fair share of women with psychotically low self-esteem.Not one but all of them, have abused themselves by taking naked pictures of themselves and posting them on the internet.I am trying to figure out what this does for them.I have searched through some psych articles, and cannot find ,beyond the obvious, why they do it.They get filth and insults as a result from anonymous onlookers,and just seem to fall deeper into the pit of despair.Any psych majors out there, or anyone know someone like this?Did they ever get help?Is there a clinical term for this behaviour?Thanks.
7 people like this
5 responses
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
12 Aug 07
Whats wrong with being Proud of your body? Did God mess up yours? God made Humankind in his own Likeness and Image.We all have reason to be proud! So why not celebrate His Handiwork? Ooh! but they were Naked. Is that the problem? Of course, you were born fully dressed! Perhaps you better search a few more psych articles, or even better buy the whole book!
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
13 Aug 07
Sorry pen! I didn't mean it to come out that way! I was bothered by your lumping together all those beautiful women... Please believe me I didn't mean to be "Evil"..... have a nice day!
2 people like this
@pendragon (3348)
• United States
14 Aug 07
Thanks!Cheerio! :)
2 people like this
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
4 Sep 07
Just came back to this conversation after 4 weeks. Sorry. I just want to add here, that I think sometimes people confuse appreciation of natural beauty and sexuality with exploitation. I myself have trouble diffentiating when a man is truly appreciative of female beauty and when he is just being, well...a pig. The human body is a beautiful and so is sexuality, when it isn't being exploited. I think this is a huge problem in life. Some folks think all things related to sexuality are bad, some thing it's not and some just use it as a weapon to manipulate and exploit. It truly is difficult to figure who is who sometimes.
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
12 Aug 07
I'm not a psyche major. I am just an observer of people. My guess is that they do it because they think they will get attention that they are seeking. Unfortunately, they probably don't realize, until its too late, that they are opening themselves up to criticism and exploitation. In the end, they end up damaging their self esteem even more. I don't think that ever woman who exposes herself in that way suffers from low self esteem, but probably most of them do. It think some women simply don't have any inhibitions and therefor don't mind showing the world everything that they've got. But I sincerely believe that is less common.
2 people like this
@pendragon (3348)
• United States
12 Aug 07
Thank you so much for answering and very intelligently too!this is one convo. that I really wanted opinions on! Yes, I do believe that a lot of women have the show-all feature in their brains with much enthusiasm and good intent, but the one's that I know...they just do so much damage to themselves and their relationships,(spouses,kids,even close friend relationships) because it is not a big well-paid,protected industry for them,it isn't sports illustrated or victoria's secret,something established, it's just them in a grimy,hurtful realm.nothing good ever comes from it, they don't get "discovered" or end up in movies, not the hollywood type anyhow.Anyways,THANKS,for responding, and conversing with me,it IS appreciated!!
2 people like this
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
4 Sep 07
Thanks for the best response and your comments. Sorry it took me so long to get back to this. I don't have e-mail notification set up, because I'd never get out of myLot if I did! Now I'll continue reading the rest of the responses. It looks like it turned out to be a great discussion.
@juline (77)
• Singapore
14 Aug 07
Wow this is an interesting question. I have come across such sites before and "webcam girls". Some do it to make money (in fact most do I think) and some out of self-love maybe? I don't think they suffer from low esteem at all.
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
4 Sep 07
That sounds like it surpases low self esteem and goes on to self hatred. What I mean is, they are take low self esteem to another level. I guess. It made me think of "cutters" for some reason. People who hurt themselves. I hope these women get the help that they need. Take care.
@herrbaggs (1308)
• United States
23 Aug 07
Some day thier thinking may actually change and they may look at life and what it has to offer in a different way, but those pictures are on the internet for eternity. Eternity can be a rather long time, generations of children, grand children and lots of relatives can enjoy viewing them, how delightful.
1 person likes this
• Canada
12 Aug 07
I hope that you will direct the women to seek counselling IF they truly have "psychotically low self-esteem". (I don't think "psychotic" is actually the word you meant, but I take your point that the women's self-esteem is so low that they appear to be self-destructive). There is no point in well-meaning friends and family guessing what might be wrong when the problem is a mental illness, just like when it's a physical illness.
@pendragon (3348)
• United States
12 Aug 07
They go to therapy and lie, I know this because the people they are in therapy with cannot stand it anymore.I've been living with these people and issues too long to be a well meaning anything anymore, i simply want to understand it for myself,thanks.I did mean psychotic, psychotically cold,and disassociative,when approached about their behaviour.
3 people like this
• Canada
12 Aug 07
Thank you for explaining, pendragon. You sound closer to the situation than I had at first understood you to be. It seems like this is causing a lot of distress for you. I very much hope that you personally can find a way to relieve your own distress. Also you have clarified that you chose the word "pyschotic" deliberately. I am not arguing with you, but you did not mention delusional thinking, which is what I thought "psychotic" meant. What you describe begins to sound pyschopathic - the coldness and lack of empathy. At any rate, it's not an argument, I was just wanting to understand what you were describing. As I said, I hope that you can find some way to relieve the distress this is causing you.
1 person likes this
• Canada
12 Aug 07
Just noticed that you said these women were "dissociative". I hope you have access to mental health professionals. It seems like a serious situation. Good luck.
1 person likes this