7 Famous Women Who Faced Heavy Criticism For Their Nudes, And 6 Male Celebs Who Were Treated Like Kings For Theirs

1.Shamed: Vanessa Hudgens

In 2007, the Disney star's nude photos were leaked to the world when she was just 18 years old. She was heavily criticized for taking the pics in the first place and was forced to apologize, even though the pics were shared without her knowledge or permission.

"I want to apologize to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me," she said in a statement at the time. "I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos. I am thankful for the support of my family and friends."

In a statement, a Disney Channel spokesperson said, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she’s learned a valuable lesson."

Two years ago, Vanessa recalled the situation during an interview with Cosmopolitan UK. "It was a really traumatizing thing for me. It’s really fucked up that people feel like they are entitled enough to share something that personal with the world. As an actor, you completely lose all grip of your own privacy, and it’s really sad."

2.Celebrated: Chris Evans

In 2020, the Marvel star sent the internet into a frenzy by accidentally sharing a dick pic on Instagram.

Chris' fans jumped into action. They used hashtags like #ChrisEvansLeak to flood Twitter with photos of Chris with his dog and reminded everyone that sharing intimate photos without a person's consent is unkind. Some fans brought up Chris' anxiety and asked the internet to respect his privacy.

And fellow Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo tweeted a supportive message with a silver lining.

During an interview on The Tamron Hall Show, he said, "It was an interesting weekend full of lessons learned, a lot of teachable moments. It’s embarrassing, but you gotta roll with the punches. I will say I have some pretty fantastic fans who really came to my support. That was really, really nice."

3.Shamed: Britney Spears

The singer sometimes shares topless or completely nude pictures on her Instagram. Each time, the comments are filled with trolls who criticize her lack of modesty and shame her for posing naked as a mother of two children. They've called Britney "embarrassing" and repeatedly told her to have more respect for her kids.

Back in March, Britney responded to all the backlash in an Instagram caption. "I bet you’re wondering why I’d expose my body NOW. … Well, it’s because I was born into this world naked, and I honestly feel like the weight of the world has been on my shoulders, and it’s made me view myself that way!!!! I wanted to see myself in a lighter way…naked…like the way I was born."

"I am a woman…a beautiful…sensitive woman who needs to look at myself in my purest form!!! No…I’m not going to do topless pics for the rest of my life 'cause that would get boring, but it sure as hell helps when you need to be enlightened," she concluded.

4.Celebrated: Channing Tatum

Last year, the actor shared a nude selfie with the caption, "You know when you in the makeup trailer asshole naked holding a towel over your junk, you about to do some shit on set that you gonna have to prepare ya mama for before she see the movie."

The internet was appreciative of Channing's good looks, and many commenters were thrilled by the thirst trap. There was no backlash about him posting nudes as a dad.

5.Shamed: Lizzo

The singer has posted multiple nude pics and videos on social media. She's been very open about her desire to change beauty standards and inspire body-neutrality. "I would like to be body-normative," she told Vogue in 2020. "I want to normalize my body. And not just be like, 'Ooh, look at this cool movement. Being fat is body-positive.' No, being fat is normal."

But, every time Lizzo shares a nude pic on Instagram, trolls ignore the spirit of these posts and fill the comments with fat-shaming and insults. Even when she's not sharing nudes, people still comment horrible things about her weight. Last year, Lizzo broke down crying during an Instagram Live and said, "Sometimes I'm like, the world just don't love me back. It's like it doesn't matter how much positive energy you put into the world, you're still going to have people who have something, something mean to say about you."

"People say shit about me that doesn't even make sense. It's fatphobic, it's racist, and it's hurtful," she continued. "If you don't like my music, cool. If you don't like 'Rumors' the song, cool, but a lot of people don't like me because of the way I look."

6.Celebrated: Orlando Bloom

In 2016, paparazzi photographed the Pirates of the Caribbean actor naked while paddle-boarding with Katy Perry in Italy.

Because of the number of photos of his penis, the internet lost its mind. Twitter users shared their love of the photos, made sexual jokes, and demanded to see the uncensored pics.

Three years later, Orlando addressed the situation on The Howard Stern Show. Howard began making jokes complimenting the size of the actor's penis, and Orlando responded, "It is really not that big. Things are extended on cameras with a big telescopic lens. That was an optical illusion."

7.Shamed: Kate Middleton

In 2012, the paparazzi took photos of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless at a private chateau while on vacation with Prince William. Closer, a French gossip magazine, published the pictures without her knowledge or consent.

While some people supported Kate and believed this was a gross invasion of privacy, many others blamed her for the situation. At the time, Donald Trump tweeted, "Who wouldn't take Kate's picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!"

8.Celebrated: Darren Criss

In 2017, the Glee actor shared a nude selfie on social media with the caption, "So what's more red? My sunburn, my speedo, or YOUR FACE???‬"

In the comments, fans gushed over the pic. Darren was showered with compliments and sexual suggestions.

9.Shamed: Paris Hilton

In 2004, a man she once dated released a sex tape to the world that they had made together when she was just 19 years old. During a 2021 interview with Vanity Fair, she recalled, "When it happened, people were so mean about it to me. The way that I was spoken about on nightly talk shows and the media, to see things with my family was just heartbreaking. I would be in tears every single day, I didn’t want to leave my house, I felt like my life was over."

"That was a private moment with a teenage girl, not in the right headspace, but everyone was watching it and laughing like it was something funny," she said in the documentary,This Is Paris. "They made me the bad person. I did something bad. It was my first real relationship. I was just so in love with him, and I wanted to make him happy."

10.Celebrated: Tyler Posey

In 2017, hackers shared nude pictures of the Teen Wolf star on the internet. His fans quickly responded by sharing pictures of the actor with the hashtag #WeRespectYouTyler.

Later that year, Tyler was asked about the pictures during an interview with Us Weekly. "I don’t care," he responded with a laugh. "It puts less stress [on you] if you just brush it off."

11.Shamed: Gabrielle Union

Throughout 2014, hackers stole hundreds of nude photos from celebrities, including Gabrielle. While most people were outraged over the violation, some blamed the victims. In a now-deleted tweet, comedian Ricky Gervais wrote, "Celebrities, make it harder for hackers to get nude pics of you from your computer by not putting nude pics of yourself on your computer."

After Gabrielle's topless photos were shared without consent on the internet, she and Dwyane Wade said in a statement to TMZ, "It has come to our attention that our private moments, that were shared and deleted solely between my husband and myself, have been leaked by some vultures. I can’t help but to be reminded that since the dawn of time, women and children, specifically women of color, have been victimized, and the power over their own bodies taken from them. These atrocities against women and children continue worldwide."

12.Celebrated: Tommy Lee

Last week, the Mötley Crüe drummer shared a completely nude picture of himself on social media. Instagram deleted it after a few hours, but the pic is still up on Twitter.

Tommy's pic garnered a very positive reaction from the internet. The comments were filled with appreciation, flirtatious suggestions, and jokes like "your drumstick is showing!"

13.Shamed: Miley Cyrus

In 2008, the singer's Vanity Fair nearly-nude photoshoot sparked massive outrage, especially from parents. At the time, the Disney Channel star said in a statement, "My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy. For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie [Leibovitz]. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed."

Ten years later, she tweeted the New York Post's cover page of the story with the headline "Miley's Shame" and retracted her apology. "I'm not sorry. Fuck you," she wrote.

During a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, she said, "In the past two years, I think, we’ve made some big progress, especially toward women and bodies. I don’t even know if you really can slut-shame now. Is that even a thing? The media hasn’t really slut-shamed me in a long time. At one point, I was like, 'Yo, when I’m 16, and you’re circling my boobs and shit like that...I’m the bad guy?' I think people are starting to go, 'Wait, wait, wait. That was fucked up.' They’re starting to know who the enemy and who the victim was there."

Can you think of any other women who were shamed for their nudes or men who were praised for theirs? LMK in the comments below!