“Upskirt” Photos Have Been Banned In Massachusetts: Score One For Basic Human Decency

It’s a good day for women (and Scottish men).

If you’re the type of bush-lurking, celebrity-stalking paparazzi who gets their rocks off on snapping photos up celebrities’ skirts as they’re getting out of limos, then Massachusetts is not the place for you anymore (of course, if you make a living taking photos of celebrities, Massachusetts is probably not the place for you anyway, but whatever). And if you’re the kind of bottom-feeding lowlife scumbag that takes sneaky photos up women’s skirts on the bus, then Massachusetts is definitely not for you (sorry, Uncle Frank). As of yesterday, taking such pictures can lead to a two-year jail term and a $5,000 fine, and that’s only if the victim is over 18 – if the victim is younger, you’re looking at five years inside and a $10,000 fine.

The law – which passed in just one day – came as a response to the Massachusetts State Supreme Court’s ruling that the pervy Bostonian who took secret upskirt pictures on the T wasn’t breaking the state’s “Peeping Tom” law. It’s good news for anyone who wants to wear a skirt without feeling harassed, although you still have to shake your head at the sheer fact that the law was necessary in the first place. Cheeky photos like the one above – which obviously involves a willing, happy model – are one thing, but taking photos without someone’s consent is just gross. Unless they’re pictures of your buddy passed out with dicks drawn all over his face, in which case, yeah, that’s totally fine.

Photos by Antoine Verglas