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'Cum tributes': the revolting way some men are harassing women on the internet.

Image: iStock.

For all its wonders and useful services, the internet can be an absolute cesspool.

This is particularly true if you’re a woman who dares to make any kind of online contribution. Countless female journalists, celebrities, Redditors, gamers and social media users have become targets for abusive comments, threats and other forms of harassment — often of a violent or sexually aggressive nature — from men.

This kind of behaviour is horrifying enough, but evidently the misogynists of the online world have found even more revolting ways to insult and humiliate women. According to Mic.com, women are finding themselves the subject of ‘cum tributes’ — where men print out images of a woman, ejaculate on it, and post the evidence online.

One such woman is Complex Magazine editor Lauren Nostro. Shortly after writing an article about the SlutWalk event in Los Angeles, an image of her face that appeared to be covered in semen was shared on Twitter.

“You guys wanna help me report this man who came on a printed out photo of my face? Thank you,” she tweeted.

To their credit, Twitter HQ suspended the original poster’s profile after a request from Nostro — but on other, less regulated online platforms it’s basically impossible to achieve this kind of disciplinary response.

Just when you thought online sexual harassment couldn't be any more horrifying.

 

Although some 'cum tributes' are mutually consensual — there are entire forums and sub-Reddits dedicated to this exchange — they're often not. In some cases the photos are drawn from social media without a woman's knowledge or permission; other times, Hollywood celebrities are the subject.

It appears they're also commonly used as a way to humiliate and debase women who are outspoken on topics such as feminism or sex positivity. As Mic reports:

"In these instances, cum tributes aren't "tributes." They're not just a man masturbating to an image of a woman he finds attractive behind a computer screen. They're a brutal and highly public form of sexual debasement, a way to make the subject feel violated, a way to assert dominance over a woman from behind a computer screen."

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This is, quite simply, sickening — and enough to drive any woman away from her wi-fi connection permanently.

Undoubtedly, the men who think it's appropriate to treat women this way are misogynist trolls who desperately need a refresher tutorial in Human Decency 101.

Recent research also suggests that, unsurprisingly, they have some deep-seated personal issues at play.

A study earlier this year concluded men who harass women in online environments are losers, in a rather literal sense of the word. Researchers at the University of New South Wales and Miami University observed how male players treated and spoke to their female counterparts in 163 plays of Halo 3, a popular video game.

Jennifer Lawrence was one of more than 100 female celebrities who had nude photos leaked by hackers last year. (Getty)

 

Tellingly, they noted that male players who were less skilled at the game and performed worse than their peers treated the women with disdain, frequently sending nasty comments to them. Meanwhile, men who played well tended to compliment their competitors, regardless of gender.

“As men often rely on aggression to maintain their dominant social status, the increase in hostility towards a woman by lower-status males may be an attempt to disregard a female’s performance and suppress her disturbance on the hierarchy to retain their social rank," lead researcher Michael Kasumovic explained to the Washington Post.

Regardless of why it happens, online harassment is never acceptable — and, to make matters worse, it can be infuriatingly difficult to address. Although some popular websites offer 'Report' buttons for users to highlight threatening behaviour, it's clear the internet and legal system as a whole really needs to lift its game in terms of ensuring the safety of women and men online.

Have you ever faced harassment online? Did you take action against it?