Prostate Cancer Foundation Returns Reddit Donations Received 'In Honor' Of Jennifer Lawrence’s Leaked Nudes
The Prostate Cancer Foundation made it perfectly clear how unimpressed it was with the donations it received “in honor” of Jennifer Lawrence’s leaked nude photographs when the foundation announced it would be returning every last penny of the “dirty” money. The nearly $6,000 raised by Reddit users was politely turned down by the society.
Not long after the leaking of dozens of celebrities' nude photos, users from the popular website Reddit chose to extend 24-year-old Jennifer Lawrence’s humiliation by donating $6,000 to prostate cancer research in honor of her stolen photographs, The Independent reported. The Charity dubbed “The Fappening,” which is a colloquial term for masturbation, was founded on the belief that masturbation prevents prostate cancer, and so urged users to donate after they enjoyed the stolen photos. Not keen on the idea of exploiting a young girl in the name of cancer, the Prostate Cancer Foundation politely turned down the money, explaining in a press release that it “would never condone raising funds for cancer research in this manner.”
Had Lawrence supported the release of her private photographs, the reaction may have been different, but according to her spokesperson, she viewed the distribution of her personal images as “a flagrant violation of privacy” and promised to prosecute anyone who posts her stolen images, BuzzFeed reported. This is by far not the first time that private images of a female, or male celebrity for that matter, have been linked to the public release of private photographs.
However, the sheer number of stolen images combined with Lawrence’s widespread popularity has helped this particular scandal raise awareness of a serious issue that we often turn a blind eye to: theft of stolen property for the financial benefits of others. As The Huffington Post pointed out, this has been happening for years. Two prime examples are Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian whose stolen sex tapes went on to makes millions of dollars and not a penny of these profits ever when into the diva’s pockets.
The main difference between Lawrence’s case and that of Hilton and Kardashian is that Lawrence is much more well-liked and relatable. Hopefully, she can use her popularity to not only draw attention to the fact that distribution of stolen images is immoral but that it’s also illegal.
And in case you were wondering, regular masturbation has been associated with a slightly lower chance of developing prostate cancer, but this connection has not yet been proven. Regardless, it’s unfortunate that it has taken such an depraved act to bring the subject to news headlines. After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men. It's the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer, and each year kills about 29,480 U.S. men.