Jess Davies, now 32, recalls the distressing moment during an art lesson as a 15-year-old in Aberystwyth, Wales, when a photograph she'd trusted a boy with was shared around her school and community, thrusting her into unwanted notoriety. The early 2000s incident marked the beginning of a long and painful journey navigating the repercussions of digital exploitation and societal judgment.
At the time, Davies was an ordinary teenager, engaged in a fairytale project, unaware that a private image she had shared would become a source of widespread humiliation. She recounts the physical symptoms of anxiety—the nausea, sweaty palms, and prickling hairs—that accompanied the glaring breach of trust. The boy who initially received the image and others who circulated it faced no scrutiny; Davies became the subject of misplaced shame and harassment. "I was the one shamed," she told The Guardian. With no precedent or guidance available, Davies chose to confront the situation by attempting to own her narrative, often laughing off the stigma she encountered.
Her experiences propelled her into the world of glamour modelling by the age of 18, seeking to reclaim confidence in her body amid the existing stigma. However, this pathway brought its challenges. At university, she faced a profound betrayal when someone she was dating secretly photographed her naked as she slept and distributed the image through a group chat. Reflecting on this, Davies described the incident as a conscious violation and lamented her initial acceptance of such treatment, underpinned by a belief that exposure to exploitation was an inevitable aspect of her value in the world.
Davies’ modelling agency later operated a subscription-based website reminiscent of an early OnlyFans platform, requiring her to send weekly selfies. Despite receiving modest payments, she lost control over these images as they were widely disseminated beyond the paywall, amplifying the exposure and the impact on her personal life. The relentless cycle of images being reposted across the internet, including within fake accounts used to scam men, added to her distress and fear of future repercussions in employment and personal relationships.
In response, Davies began raising awareness about digital exploitation. After encountering individuals catfished using her stolen images, she issued a public warning and later collaborated on the BBC documentary "When Nudes Are Stolen." This experience was transformative, offering her validation and a shift away from self-blame. "No one had ever said that before. No one had ever said: ‘It wasn’t your fault,’" she said.
Her recent book, No One Wants to See Your Dck*, draws on her experiences to expose the widespread and systematic abuse of images of women online, including the prevalence of unsolicited explicit images, the use of AI technology to create fake nudes, and the alarming normalisation of degrading behaviour in online male-dominated communities on platforms like Reddit, Discord, and 4chan. Davies highlights disturbing behaviours such as online "games" involving sharing and humiliating women’s images, often involving personal details and violent fantasies. She explains, "These are men writing about their wives, their mums, their mate’s daughter, exchanging images, sharing women’s names, socials and contact details, and no one – not one man – is calling them out."
Davies dedicates part of her campaign to education, visiting schools to discuss consent and online behaviour with boys, noting the absence of critical conversations about these topics amid significant cuts in youth services funding in England. She connects this gap with the rise of harmful online subcultures influencing young men's attitudes and actions.
Despite recent legislative and corporate moves to improve online safety—such as the Online Safety Act 2023 and actions taken by sites like Pornhub following investigations into illicit content—Davies remains cautious. She acknowledges progress but urges continued vigilance and accountability. She also expresses the personal consequences of her experiences, noting that she avoids dating apps and struggles with trust in relationships.
"No one has ever contacted me to apologise for sharing my image without consent," Davies said. "I like to think that some have seen me and thought: ‘Oh, shit. That was me and that’s not OK’. But maybe the likelihood is that they’re thinking: ‘Yeah, that was me. What’s wrong with that?’ Unfortunately, we’ve still got a way to go."
Jess Davies' story offers a poignant insight into the realities faced by many women in the digital age, unveiling the complexities of betrayal, stigma, and resilience in the face of widespread online abuses. The Guardian is reporting on her journey and the broader implications of digital exploitation and men's online behaviours.
Source: Noah Wire Services