TAMPA, Fla. — A nude photograph sent by a young woman to a new sexual partner early Saturday morning was allegedly responded to with only a thumbs up emoji, several sources have confirmed.
“I’m not usually one to send nudes, but things have been going pretty well with this new guy I’m seeing so I just thought, ‘What the hell.’ I saw those three dots linger for a pretty long time before I got the text back — just a giant thumbs up, not even with an eggplant or anything,” she said, surrounded by loved ones and first responders while struggling to articulate her feelings around receiving the emoji. “I think maybe I’m still in shock. You hear about this sort of thing happening to other people, but nothing can prepare you for the reality of it happening to you.”
Julia Morales, a friend of the victim, says she was aware the victim had been dating someone casually, but had no idea he was capable of such a gruesome act.
“I didn’t know him super well, but he seemed like a normal guy. Harmless, kinda quiet. To think he could do something like this,” Morales said, while clearly becoming overwhelmed with emotion. “I later learned that before she sent the nude she shared an astrology meme with him and he just replied ‘lol,’ and not even in caps or anything. Sick motherfucker. Someone should check on her.”
Experts say victims of thumbs up responses may take time to readjust to normal life, particularly while attempting to engage in intimate relationships.
“Before sufferers of unenthusiastic sexting are ready to return to their everyday lives, they need to re-establish a feeling of safety and trust,” explained James Clark, a counselor who specializes in rehabilitating victims of virtual sexual rejection. “If someone puts themselves back out there before taking time to grieve, process, and learn, they put their ego at risk of re-injury, which is easily spotted through increased social media use, sudden haircuts, or, in extreme cases, becoming musicians on YouTube.”
As for the victim, she said she hopes to one day recover from this a more grounded, stable person and added that her first step in the process is to “probably get shitfaced hammered or something.”