Women often send naked photos to men due to feeling socially obliged to do so, according to a new study.
Research, conducted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, found more than a third of those polled said they deemed sending nudes to be “an obligation or inherent part of being in a romantic relationship.”
The study, which probed women about why they chose to send nudes, unearthed a range of responses which included their partner asking them to do so, or because they were far away from each other.
Some women polled stated they “were already feeling good about their bodies, wanted to initiate sex, or wanted to explore their sexuality remotely.”
While others said they sent naked photos “to feel sexually aroused” as well as saying they felt empowered by the process. Other women said they felt pressured into sending nudes - citing “being repeatedly asked for it until you gave in.”
Researchers, whose findings were published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, polled 207 women aged between 19 and 27 who had sent at least one nude before.
Although some women said they shared a nude to keep an abusive partner happy, this was not found to be a common reason cited.
“Women frequently send sexualised nude images to men, but women’s motivations for sending nudes are unclear,” the study, carried out at the university’s department of psychology, stated.
“We find that women are not thoughtlessly sending images of their bodies to others, but rather are acutely aware of their motivations.”
