May 15, 2014 - Written by: Poppy Gillian

Tube Crush: Is It Okay To Post Pictures Of Strangers Online?

Recently I found out about a website called Tube Crush. It’s a forum where people can send in pictures taken of hot guys on the tube. These pictures are then posted and people can rate and comment on them.

A similar concept, the Facebook page Women Who Eat on Tubes caused outrage recently. So, should we be feeling the same about other sites like these?

I’m not sure… I definitely wouldn’t be impressed by coming across a picture of me eating on public transport. But I guess that’s because it’s not a very attractive image, crumbs everywhere, mouth hanging open, that sort of thing. (I’m not that much of a messy eater, but it could happen!) So does it make it okay if it’s for a positive reason?

If you find yourself on Tube Crush it means that someone thinks you’re hot; that’s pretty flattering. We all like a bit of an ego boost from time-to-time. But the thought of someone taking a sneaky photo of you is a bit creepy.

(Image via)

Yet there is so much of it out there. There’s Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook. There don’t seem to be any rules about who you take the pictures of. But sometimes it feels like we’re becoming a Big Brother society where something as normal as tucking into a snack on your daily commute can’t go unnoticed.

In an article I read recently, it was pointed out that Tube Crush is objectifying men. It made me think of the Rush Hour Crush section in the Metro. I’ve never thought that there was anything wrong with it, but is this the same sort of thing? I guess with that, there aren’t any pictures and it’s about one person fancying the other, opposed to putting an image in a public space for everyone to rate. It’s not as intimate as making someone’s image available for all to see.

Finding someone attractive is such a subjective thing. Just because someone fancies somebody, it doesn’t mean everyone else will. If you put a photo online, this is always going to leave the subject of the photo open to criticism as well as appreciation. That person hasn’t asked for that, they probably weren’t even aware of the picture being taken. Imagine finding that picture of yourself and seeing negative comments. How would you feel if you found a picture of your boyfriend/girlfriend on one of these sites?

We all like a bit of eye candy, but it depends on the context. It seems that as social media grows, so does society’s obsession with looks. Children of primary school age are taking selfies. Personally I find that alarming.

In our photo-obsessive culture are we losing the art of social interaction? You see an attractive guy on the train, when he’s not looking you take a photo, and then you get off at your stop and walk away. Where’s the sneaky glances, the awkward eye contact, the fleeting smile? Okay, it doesn’t always work out like that, but you get my drift. Where’s the sense of excitement?

So what do you ladies and gentlemen think? Are sites like these a bit of harmless fun or are they encouraging objectification?

If you enjoyed this article, why not check out ‘The online world is a toxic stage’?