“There won’t be any pictures here. You simply don’t want to see them,” said Linda Mūrniece, opening her account of a recent, unwelcome digital encounter.
The former Latvian government minister and author, who this autumn published the book Notes of broken hearts (Broken Hearts’ Notes), recently detailed an experience with an online suitor that she says is part of a broader, recurring pattern of inappropriate behavior women face on dating platforms.
Mūrniece reported that a man named Armands initiated contact with her, clearly aware of her public profile and political background. According to Mūrniece, he initially presented himself as shy and hesitant, writing that he felt nervous about reaching out. She responded by emphasizing her interest in genuine, warm communication rather than status-driven interactions.
The interaction escalated quickly after she received an initial black-and-white photograph. Mūrniece said that the suitor, who is 56, began sending messages with increasing frequency, rapidly shifting to terms of endearment within less than an hour of their first exchange. Shortly thereafter, he sent a photograph of his bare buttocks.
“It’s not anything perverse—just a 56-year-old rear end in my phone after a half-hour of correspondence,” Mūrniece said.
When she did not provide the validation or attention he sought, the sender followed up with additional explicit imagery, including a photograph of his genitals. Mūrniece described this as an attempt to ensure she understood the nature of his intentions.
The author, who has been married three times and has written several books including Girl with a gun on the roof (The Girl with the Gun on the Roof) and Aging without panic (Aging Without Panic), shared the story to highlight the lack of respect for boundaries in digital dating.
She emphasized that she is not actively seeking a partner, but noted the frustration of having to view such unsolicited content.
Many women have responded to Mūrniece’s social media post by sharing similar experiences. These accounts reveal a common trend where men send unwanted explicit images to women on dating apps and social networks, despite the recipients expressing no interest in such material.
Why do some men send unsolicited explicit images? What can users do when they receive unwanted explicit photos? Most major social media platforms and dating applications provide tools to report and block users who send non-consensual sexual content. Privacy settings can also be adjusted to restrict who is allowed to send direct messages or media files.
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