File Under: Revenge Porn. What We Know About Tiwa Savage Being Blackmailed

Multiple rumors surfaced this past week of a video clip of artiste, Tiwa Savage sharing an “intimate moment” as she preferred it to be called, with an unknown male who she revealed to be someone she is currently dating. The news spread like wildfire on social media as the artiste during a radio interview with Power 105.1 station in New York City, opened up to being blackmailed over an intimate footage with her current partner.

In the interview, Tiwa revealed her partner accidentally posted the short video on Snapchat and deleted it immediately, but according to her, someone must have gotten a hold of it and is now threatening to leak the clip if she refuses to pay an undisclosed amount of money. In essence, what happened here is a case of revenge porn which is the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of an individual/individuals without their consent.

Read: Revenge Porn And The Nigerian Law: Making The Internet Safer For Women

Trust Nigerians, there was a frenzy over the news and alleged video, and almost everyone seemed to have something to say. There were multiple reactions from people across the internet as usual; There were those who took to social media to share their disappointment with the singer, those who slut shamed her and said she was “too old” for such, and those who believe the video to be fake and merely a publicity stunt. I thought our world had advanced past the point were we would be so pressed over the decisions women make when it comes to their bodies seeing as this is 2021, but here we are. A woman being a sexual being? oh, the horror. 

When it comes to cases of revenge porn and women getting their nude images and sex tapes leaked, it always seems to be the woman getting the brunt of it. No one ever seems to pay any mind to finding and bringing to book the person who is actually at fault, the one invading another human being’s privacy in such a vile way.

The question of whether or not the video of Tiwa Savage sharing an intimate moment with her partner should even exist is not up for debate. Its her life so she is allowed to make her own choices, as she said in the interview, “I am not ashamed of it, this is someone I am dating. I am not cheating, neither is he. We are grown ups.” She also shared that she wasn’t going to give it to the threats made by her attacker, as the tape was an intimate moment shared between two consenting adults, and I love that for her. It is amazing to see her own her narrative by not giving in to the threats for an action that is hers to make alone, and doing so lets her attacker know that she is not ashamed, and will not be shamed for doing something that is natural. A queen, I stan.

Slut shaming or degrading women is still a way of trying to control what we can and cannot do with our bodies. And to those saying Tiwa is “too old” for these kinds of things, whatever that means, my question to them is simple; Is there an age to stop enjoying your sexuality?