Thanks to the Internet, it’s pretty easy to become a celebrity these days. Just as easy? Being disgraced on said Internet after a video is leaked of you pressuring a 16-year-old girl into oral sex.
In a world where “Vine star” and “Instagram celeb” are actual things, a 19-year-old kid who’d otherwise be an unknown, Carter Reynolds, is in some hot water over a leaked video uploaded to Tumblr. A censored version popped up on YouTube (and removed), Gawker reported.
For some background, Reynolds is a star on social media site Vine, where he was 4.3 million followers, and on Instagram, where he has 2.9 million.
The leaked video was shared far and wide across the Internet and was promptly followed by some outrage on social media. Reynolds’ response so far denies that the activity depicted was sexual assault, because “Couples do stuff like that all the time,” the Daily Dot added.
Without getting too explicit, he allegedly appears in the film with his ex-girlfriend and Instagram star (924,00 followers) Maggie Lindemann. So far, Carter only allegedly makes an appearance because the man holding the camera only reveals his erect penis.
What transpires is disturbing. Essentially, it depicts the youth pressuring his ex into oral sex. BuzzFeed provided a transcript.
“This makes me so uncomfortable.
Do it.
I’m really uncomfortable.
Stop, stop. Just act like [the camera isn’t] there.
Carter, that’s a giant lie.
[laughs] Want me to shut the light off?
I don’t think I can.
Want me to shut the light off?
I don’t think I can.
Oh my gosh, Maggie, oh my gosh.”
Carter and Lindemann apparently broke up in May after a bad relationship. She admitted Reynolds made her “feel like s**t.” The problem is she is 16, and he turned 19 recently. This leaked video, therefore, could actually be footage of a crime in progress, depending on which state it was filmed in. As the Daily Dot pointed out, consent and statutory rape are an issue, as is the question of whether it qualifies as child porn.
— Carter Reynolds (@carterreynolds) June 23, 2015
As for the Vine celeb, he’s taken to Twitter to justify and explain the video, but what’s important is how the young man apologized. To be fair, he did admit the act was wrong on his part.
“Yes, saying ‘do it’ a couple times was wrong on so many levels. I should’ve just stopped asking when she said ‘no’ the first time … and for that I’m sorry to everyone that I offended and especially Maggie.”
But this was bracketed by excuses and denials. He noted that they were dating, she wasn’t a “random girl,” and that the interaction was meant to be private. It was only shared because someone hacked into his iCloud account. He further claimed that the anger it’s inspired has been blown out of proportion, and denies that he forced his girlfriend, despite admitting that he used the words “do it.”
What do you think? Was this sexual assault? Rape? Child porn? Or a misunderstanding? Sound off in the comments.
[Photo Courtesy Instagram]