Creepshot

Meaning

What does Creepshot mean?

Creepshot refers to a picture that usually an elderly man takes of a woman without her consent.

The image is mainly focused on her cleavage, legs, or it is taken from behind. These men most of the time take “Creepshots” of these women in malls, grocery shops and even on beaches.

While the term usually refers to sexualized pictures taken of women, a “Creepshot” can also be an unexpected photograph of someone in an unflattering position.

Testing the limits of jeans

Origin

What's the origin of Creepshot?

The earliest known appearance of the term was in 2009, on Twitter. The tweet features a snapshot taken of a person without them knowing it.

The blend of the names in the term refers to that only a creepy person would take pictures of other people without their consent, especially if meanwhile they are sexualizing them.

Over the following years the term appeared more frequently, on Twitter and Reddit, when pictures of anonymous women’s butt were taken in malls and on beaches.

Spread & Usage

How did Creepshot spread?

Throughout the years, the term “Creepshot” had many scandals, or more like,  the people who posted “Creepshots” got themselves into big trouble.

For instance, CNN Journalist Anderson Cooper found a popular “Creepshot” forum on Reddit going by the name /r/jailbait in 2011.

This incident got more recognition when it came to the attention of the news and the press that probably a high school teacher was responsible for posting sexualized snapshots of his female students to that forum.

In July 2016, a Canadian sex educator Yevgeniya Ivanyutenko shared his opinion on “Creepshots” and he demanded that Twitter deletes and cracks down users who posts “Creepshots” or share them under the hashtags of the term.

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External resources

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