Jasmin “Gnu” (33) has been active on YouTube and Twitch since 2015 and is one of the largest German-speaking gaming influencers. She has openly spoken about sexism in the gaming industry in the past, and now Gnu criticizes the sexualization of female streamers on platforms like reddit in a special video.
Note: This article originally appeared on February 6th, and we updated it on February 7th with additional information on the legal aspects.
What kind of video is this? On February 5th, the YouTuber published a video on her third channel Jasmin Gnu in which she criticizes the sexualization of female streamers, especially on reddit. For this important but also difficult topic, she enlisted the support of 4 opinion YouTubers:
Additionally, there is the “hacktivist” Nella, a specialist in cybersecurity (via Twitter).
Female streamers are publicly sexualized against their will
The sexualization of female streamers is unfortunately nothing new: Clips are often made as soon as a streamer gets up or her body is visible for a moment.
But it doesn’t end on Twitch: on reddit, there are communities where such footage is shared and discussed. Under seemingly harmless images and videos, there are often quite disgusting comments where the female streamers are heavily sexualized.
On reddit, there are even deeper abysses: Role-playing games are conducted in which users take on the role of a streamer and live out sexual fantasies. Some reddit users use autographed photos of female streamers as masturbation templates and post pictures of the results – this is particularly humiliating, as some of these autographs were only available at community meetings, as Gnu says:
For me personally, it is very painful […], because I have probably seen the person face-to-face, and then to be publicly humiliated like this is really not nice.
Others photoshop the faces of female streamers into pornographic images or create incredibly realistic forgeries using AI, known as deepfakes. These fakes are then made available for free or sold.
These effects on the affected: Gnu reports how much the constant sexualization has already affected her. For some time, she only wore loose clothing during streams to hide her figure.
When that didn’t help either, she “capitulated.” It’s frustrating that there are always people who downplay the topic, even though they are usually not affected at all. For those affected, especially younger people, it is very stressful, especially when they are confronted with it for the first time.
reddit is the ideal point of contact
Gnu’s criticism: reddit seemingly imposes no limits on its users – sexual and even violent fantasies can be discussed unabashedly in the forums. What reddit is all about is addressed by Parabelritter in his contribution to the video.
Ultimately, reddit is a reflection of our society – with all its light and dark sides. Much good is possible and has already happened on the platform, but there is also room for bad.
[We see] that the problem of reddit is embedded in its DNA. Reddit’s secret recipe has always been to allow free expression, but at some point, it went too far, giving the impression that the platform has no real control over itself – or doesn’t want to have any at all.
Parabelritter cites the case of Ellen Pao, the former CEO of reddit. She resigned in 2015 after massive user protests against her decisions to ban controversial subreddits.
Moreover, in 2017, naked images of prominent women had already been published on reddit. The platform is said to have drawn consequences from this, but they apparently do not go far enough. Ultimately, the same problem now affects numerous content creators.
You can watch the entire video here:
The internet is not a lawless space
What can be done about it? The YouTuber and author AliciaJoe addresses the legal aspects in her contribution. Indeed, such actions as falsifying and distributing naked images are classified as digital violence. AliciaJoe refers to a video by lawyer Christian Solmecke (via YouTube).
Which exact sections would come into play varies from case to case and is sometimes a matter of interpretation. Creating this content can, for example, be classified as defamation or violation of privacy and is punishable – offenders face heavy fines and even prison sentences of several years.
The distribution of the recordings also violates the personality rights of those affected, which is why they could have a claim for damages or compensation for pain and suffering. In addition, platforms like YouTube and reddit must take action themselves when they are alerted to such content.
Gnu’s group is taking action against content
How does the streamer defend herself? YouTuber AlphaKevin has gone undercover for Gnu in various subreddits and made contact with users. He was particularly shocked during his research to see how young some of the women and girls were who experienced such strong sexualization – some of the affected were even minors.
Who is behind it? With the help of hacktivist Nella, the identities of some users who spread sexualized content on reddit were identified. Among them were supposed to be a student and a web designer. They now face consequences that could be quite severe in terms of legal aspects.
Gnu advises those affected: Criminal content should not be deleted too hastily, but must definitely be documented. Afterwards, one should immediately go to the police or a lawyer with it. She also warns against starting social media too young.
Sexism in the gaming industry: ‘I thought that was part of it’
