Thakur
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Of course, you want to show your significant
other that they're the only person in your
life. And what better way to do it than taking
a racy pic of yourself to give them a thrill?
It's all in good fun, no? But weeks after your
break-up, you log on to Facebook one day,
and see that same photo with a thousand
likes and even some lewd comments. Stories
like these are what led to the birth of the
social media prenuptial. This new trend in the
US is a reflection of how couples are taking
precautions to keep their romantic life and
their virtual one separate.
What is it? Over the last few months, there's
been a rise in the number of couples laying
out some social media dos and don'ts in their
prenuptial agreements, according to foreign
reports. The prenup will include details like
not posting embarrassing photos online,
maintaining a specified level of privacy and
any additional specifications that the couple
may want. And what happens if hubby posts a
picture of his wife getting wasted at her
school reunion online? "(That) depends on a
person's wealth," says Ann-Margaret
Carrozza, attorney, New York. "The clause
we're using with it is $50,000 per episode."
Keeping It Simple: Lawyers advise couples
not to get down to the gritty details when
chalking out their contract. For example,
instead of forbidding Facebook or Twitter, it's
better to just use the blanket term of 'social
media'. This also acts as a safeguard for the
couple if a new social network, not
mentioned in the prenup, pops up after the
contract is signed. A tricky aspect, they warn,
is positive content. For instance, wedding
photos may seem relatively harmless, but
what about uploading them after a break-up?
Someone might get hurt, even if it isn't
libelous.
The double-edged sword: Apart from the
caring spouse who unintentionally commits
some online faux pas, social media prenups
also protect their clients from the post-
break-up wrath of their exes. An acidic rant
on your Youtube vlog about how your ex
broke your heart is a thing of the past, or at
least a thing for less vindictive couples. A
trend of "revenge p**n sites" has emerged,
where people upload n*de pictures and even
phone numbers and addresses of their ex for
the world to see.
Getting a prenuptial ensures that your online
image is intact. Yet, a biz mag suggests that it
might not reflect so well in your spouse's
eyes. The issue of trust for a new couple can
become a sore one, and thrusting in a legal
arrangement with monetary punishments can
heighten insecurities. Plus, having a legal
stick over their head can make a person feel
like they're being controlled - something
nobody wants when they're getting married.
Social media prenups: cause or effect of
problems? Several critics have raised the
question of whether the need for these
contracts implies the existence of a problem
to begin with in the relationship. "If you're
marrying someone and you're concerned that
they're going to put a n*de picture of you
(...), there's probably a problem in the
relationship before you're even getting
married," says David Centeno, attorney, New
York.
Real life incidents
Steubenville high school scandal: This 2013
rape case became controversial in the US
because of news agencies and many people
siding with two boys who sexually assaulted
their schoolmate. After a party, the victim's
friends uploaded pictures of themselves
assaulting the girl on a variety of social
media. When the issue came to public notice,
however, the people of Steubenville and
several news channels sympathized with the
accused because they were the school's
prized athletes, who had won scholarships to
prestigious colleges, and their futures were
ruined after they were sentenced to time in
prison.
Delhi school MMS scandal: Closer to home,
this scandal rocked the country after an MMS
of two Delhi school students engaging in a
sexual act got passed around, and eventually
got purchased by a p**n site. The incident
also spawned three films - Dev.D, Ragini
MMS, and Love s#x Aur Dhokha.
Kim Kardashian: Kim Kardashian would
never have been the household name she is
today if it hadn't been for her s#x tape.
Although the Kardashian clan's never one to
shy away from showing too much skin, this
video - which was said to be leaked by her
then boyfriend Ray J - wasn't meant for the
public eye. Even though the publicity that
followed launched Kim into stardom, she filed
a lawsuit against the distributors of the film,
and managed to have the video banned.
Tulisa Contostavlos: The former X Factor
judge got a shock when her then boyfriend
Justin Edwards leaked their s#x tape on the
internet. The singer got the last laugh when
she won the court case against Edwards, and
got the video banned. He also apologised,
saying that he'd "not do it again", which
makes us wonder whether he actually thought
he'd get another chance?
Katy Perry and Russell Brand: In contrast
to celeb s#x tapes floating around the
internet, the content of Russell Brand's tweet
- a pic of his then wife without makeup -
seems rather mild. Katy, however, must not
have found the photo - which has little
resemblance to the usually immaculate singer
- quite so innocent because it was deleted
from Russell's account a minute after it was
posted. Too bad that one of the Twitter-active
fans managed to get a screenshot.
Paris Hilton: The s#x tape that started it all.
This tape featured a little known Paris Hilton
and her then boyfriend Rick Salomon, which
later got released a few months before Paris
made her television debut in the reality TV
series The Simple Life. Although Paris said she
"never received a dime from the video. It's
just dirty money and (Salomon) should give it
all to some charity", it is this tape that made
her the 'famous for being famous' queen
before she was finally ousted by frenemy
Kim.
Frances Bean Cobain and Courtney Love:
This one's not a couple, but definitely serves
as proof that such prenups can be helpful in a
parent-child relationship as well. When
grunge icon Kurt Cobain's daughter Frances
Bean turned 18, her mother Courtney
tweeted (referring to Frances' restraining
order against Love), "youve done a dammed
good job frances of destroying anything i
could build that is positive". Love went
berserk again in 2012, when she accused
former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl of
hitting on Frances, leading Frances to call for
a Twitter ban on Love. Does your prenuptial cover Twitter? - TOI Mobile | The Times of India Mobile Site
other that they're the only person in your
life. And what better way to do it than taking
a racy pic of yourself to give them a thrill?
It's all in good fun, no? But weeks after your
break-up, you log on to Facebook one day,
and see that same photo with a thousand
likes and even some lewd comments. Stories
like these are what led to the birth of the
social media prenuptial. This new trend in the
US is a reflection of how couples are taking
precautions to keep their romantic life and
their virtual one separate.
What is it? Over the last few months, there's
been a rise in the number of couples laying
out some social media dos and don'ts in their
prenuptial agreements, according to foreign
reports. The prenup will include details like
not posting embarrassing photos online,
maintaining a specified level of privacy and
any additional specifications that the couple
may want. And what happens if hubby posts a
picture of his wife getting wasted at her
school reunion online? "(That) depends on a
person's wealth," says Ann-Margaret
Carrozza, attorney, New York. "The clause
we're using with it is $50,000 per episode."
Keeping It Simple: Lawyers advise couples
not to get down to the gritty details when
chalking out their contract. For example,
instead of forbidding Facebook or Twitter, it's
better to just use the blanket term of 'social
media'. This also acts as a safeguard for the
couple if a new social network, not
mentioned in the prenup, pops up after the
contract is signed. A tricky aspect, they warn,
is positive content. For instance, wedding
photos may seem relatively harmless, but
what about uploading them after a break-up?
Someone might get hurt, even if it isn't
libelous.
The double-edged sword: Apart from the
caring spouse who unintentionally commits
some online faux pas, social media prenups
also protect their clients from the post-
break-up wrath of their exes. An acidic rant
on your Youtube vlog about how your ex
broke your heart is a thing of the past, or at
least a thing for less vindictive couples. A
trend of "revenge p**n sites" has emerged,
where people upload n*de pictures and even
phone numbers and addresses of their ex for
the world to see.
Getting a prenuptial ensures that your online
image is intact. Yet, a biz mag suggests that it
might not reflect so well in your spouse's
eyes. The issue of trust for a new couple can
become a sore one, and thrusting in a legal
arrangement with monetary punishments can
heighten insecurities. Plus, having a legal
stick over their head can make a person feel
like they're being controlled - something
nobody wants when they're getting married.
Social media prenups: cause or effect of
problems? Several critics have raised the
question of whether the need for these
contracts implies the existence of a problem
to begin with in the relationship. "If you're
marrying someone and you're concerned that
they're going to put a n*de picture of you
(...), there's probably a problem in the
relationship before you're even getting
married," says David Centeno, attorney, New
York.
Real life incidents
Steubenville high school scandal: This 2013
rape case became controversial in the US
because of news agencies and many people
siding with two boys who sexually assaulted
their schoolmate. After a party, the victim's
friends uploaded pictures of themselves
assaulting the girl on a variety of social
media. When the issue came to public notice,
however, the people of Steubenville and
several news channels sympathized with the
accused because they were the school's
prized athletes, who had won scholarships to
prestigious colleges, and their futures were
ruined after they were sentenced to time in
prison.
Delhi school MMS scandal: Closer to home,
this scandal rocked the country after an MMS
of two Delhi school students engaging in a
sexual act got passed around, and eventually
got purchased by a p**n site. The incident
also spawned three films - Dev.D, Ragini
MMS, and Love s#x Aur Dhokha.
Kim Kardashian: Kim Kardashian would
never have been the household name she is
today if it hadn't been for her s#x tape.
Although the Kardashian clan's never one to
shy away from showing too much skin, this
video - which was said to be leaked by her
then boyfriend Ray J - wasn't meant for the
public eye. Even though the publicity that
followed launched Kim into stardom, she filed
a lawsuit against the distributors of the film,
and managed to have the video banned.
Tulisa Contostavlos: The former X Factor
judge got a shock when her then boyfriend
Justin Edwards leaked their s#x tape on the
internet. The singer got the last laugh when
she won the court case against Edwards, and
got the video banned. He also apologised,
saying that he'd "not do it again", which
makes us wonder whether he actually thought
he'd get another chance?
Katy Perry and Russell Brand: In contrast
to celeb s#x tapes floating around the
internet, the content of Russell Brand's tweet
- a pic of his then wife without makeup -
seems rather mild. Katy, however, must not
have found the photo - which has little
resemblance to the usually immaculate singer
- quite so innocent because it was deleted
from Russell's account a minute after it was
posted. Too bad that one of the Twitter-active
fans managed to get a screenshot.
Paris Hilton: The s#x tape that started it all.
This tape featured a little known Paris Hilton
and her then boyfriend Rick Salomon, which
later got released a few months before Paris
made her television debut in the reality TV
series The Simple Life. Although Paris said she
"never received a dime from the video. It's
just dirty money and (Salomon) should give it
all to some charity", it is this tape that made
her the 'famous for being famous' queen
before she was finally ousted by frenemy
Kim.
Frances Bean Cobain and Courtney Love:
This one's not a couple, but definitely serves
as proof that such prenups can be helpful in a
parent-child relationship as well. When
grunge icon Kurt Cobain's daughter Frances
Bean turned 18, her mother Courtney
tweeted (referring to Frances' restraining
order against Love), "youve done a dammed
good job frances of destroying anything i
could build that is positive". Love went
berserk again in 2012, when she accused
former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl of
hitting on Frances, leading Frances to call for
a Twitter ban on Love. Does your prenuptial cover Twitter? - TOI Mobile | The Times of India Mobile Site
