Real letters, real advice. Send me your stressful situation, however sticky, and I'll help you see it from a new, fresh perspective. Let's all support and learn from each other. Submissions are open and always anonymous.
Ever since I shared my middl...
The following is an actual letter to the author. Identifying information has been removed.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Dear Meghan,
I still haven't a clue how it began, but over the course of a couple of years someone hacked my social media accounts and shared extremely private photos of a sexual nature with people. Suddenly I found that people who had once respected me were extremely rude and abusive online, and that I was getting all kinds of disgusting and terrible propositions from men on dating apps. It has ballooned into people feeling justified in ignoring me or in attacking me verbally (even physically a few times I think, via pushing me or getting in my personal space). My "friends" all feel justified in entrapping me and in participating in the bullying. No one will speak to me without being cruel, and we are adults in our late 30s! It is heartbreaking. How do I get my life back?
Sincerely, Someone Leaked My Nudes
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Dear SLMN,
I am so sorry your privacy was violated in such an intense and devastating way. I will never understand people who judge others for taking naked photos of themselves. So what if you love your body? So what if you want to document it and celebrate it? Posing for sexy photos can be fun and empowering, and it sucks that your peers are ostracizing you for what someone else did with those photos, especially since you're all adults.
My advice is to look into the specific laws where you live regarding privacy. It might feel impossible to track down whoever stole your photos, but most hackers leave a trail of breadcrumbs, and a private investigator could help you build a case against whoever did this. A serious crime has been committed against you. The stealing and sharing of personal or explicit information could be punishable by a fine or, in some states, jail time. Even if you don't feel like pressing charges, identifying the culprit could give you a sense of control over the situation.
It could also give you control over the story, which matters when it comes to your friends and colleagues. Taking legal action makes it clear that you see yourself as the victim of a crime (which you are). Perhaps others will start seeing you that way, too, instead of treating you as if you've committed a crime yourself. This type of invasion of privacy could happen to anyone, and your friends' lack of empathy is truly disappointing.
That brings me to my other piece of advice, which is to ditch these so-called friends who are bullying you. The silver lining of the nude-leaking catastrophe is that it's revealed the people in your life who aren't actually worthy of taking up that space. Let them go! Maybe they'll enjoy judging each other somewhere else, far away from you. Their inability to provide the support and friendship you need during this time is not a reflection on you or your worth. You can do so much better, and you will.
In solidarity, Meghan
Disclaimer: This advice column is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I'm not a licensed mental health professional and the advice provided is not intended to replace professional advice. Neither I nor Wattpad bears responsibility for any outcomes resulting from the advice given.
