And Now, the Chris Crocker Nude Pictures "Scandal"

Perhaps it was inevitable that Chris Crocker, a young man whose exhibitionist impulses have brought him internet stardom and talk of a TV deal, would have an exhibitionist past that includes the posting of nude pictures online. Crocker certainly seems to suggest inevitability in a MySpace blog entry he just put up, writing: "I had a lot of alone time in the last half of my teen years, [I was home schooled] and when you're young self-discovery..happens."

The self-discovery to which he is referring, and which prompted tonight's mea culpa, could be found on this blog last week. (But it's not there anymore. Crocker has been trying to get people to take the pictures down, saying they're illegal to possess. He called me tonight to say: "Everybody's talking about, 'Oh I saw Chris Crocker naked.' It's nothing to brag about. I'm a minor [in those pictures]. Everyone who's saving it to computers: It's child porn.")

The full Crocker mea culpa, sure to become a document of his generation (or at least of the next 24 hours), follows:

In regards to my "nudes"..

For days now I have been bombarded with messages about the nude photo scandal. The truth is, I was young and stupid when I took those pictures. So young in fact that I was 17 at the time.

I do not condone anyone underage or OF age to post nudes, but in my own personal defense- I had a lot of alone time in the last half of my teen years, [I was home schooled] and when you're young self-discovery..happens.

I did in fact upload the nudes of myself to the internet when I was 17. Again, I do NOT condone anyone to do this. On the contrary- I encourage everyone to NOT upload nudes of themselves.

I obviously did this behind my parents backs and I am truly embarressed for myself and my family at this time, but I just wanted to clear the air and let anyone and everyone know, that has saved these pictures that it is illegal seeing as though I was 17 at the time, so when you brag that you "saw Chris Crocker naked!!!"..what you're really bragging that you saw a 17 year old me naked.

Again, I do not condone or stand by my actions at 17, nor anyone else who is underage exploring themselves in this way.

When he called me, Crocker admitted that at this point he's not going to be able make the nudes disappear. "It's obviously not like I can zap it from the internet," he told me. But, he added: "It's just not something I want out there... I just don't want people to be under the impression that it's me as an adult when it's not." Still, he seemed somewhat resigned to the pictures being viewed online. "If they want to stare at a 17-year-old cock all day, that's their damage."