The clothes are displayed, messages flock, but some have nothing to do with a transaction. Behind the screen, women who came to sell a skirt or a coat are targeted by displaced solicitations, sometimes relayed far beyond private messaging. Harassment on vinted interferes in a practice, however trivial, revealing an opaque system where the images are diverted, the masked intentions and the boundaries of respect widely outdated.
But behind this benevolent window, some users discover an unexpected reverse. Insisting messages, displaced compliments and sometimes clearly sexual proposals are invited in their private messaging. These behaviors, far from being anecdotal, reveal a broader and deeply sexist phenomenon. As a saleswoman told MadmoiZelle, it is sometimes enough to publish a photo with a garment worn to trigger an avalanche of inappropriate comments.
The most disturbing is the surprise effect. There are many women who, like Caroline, a user interviewed by Numerama, did not understand the sudden origin of massive male solicitations. It was not by falling on certain online forums that they realized that their profiles were scanned, listed and disseminated by strangers with unhealthy intentions.
Harassment on vinted is spreading far beyond private messages
The phenomenon goes far beyond the sphere of messaging. Forums specializing in voyeurism collect and redistribute hundreds of vintéd profiles every day exclusively women. On these online spaces, accessible via simple web searches, users identify the announcements where a piece of skin is visible or a tight clothing worn. “Special buttocks” lists, or “special neckline”, circulate with direct links to the accounts concerned.
In some cases, images are even treated with artificial intelligence tools capable of generating naked representations from dressed photos. Numerama revealed the existence of a site hosting a function called “Undess Ai”, promoted as a solution to “undress” the people present in the photos. This practice, called “Deepnude”, was growing success, with several million visits identified since the end of 2023.
These are no longer only inappropriate comments, but a real large -scale organization, structured around illegal practices. Other social networks are also concerned. Settled shots on Facebook, Instagram or even during Parisian LGBT evenings were republished on these same forums, often accompanied by comments with a sexual connotation.
A response deemed insufficient in the face of misguided uses
Faced with this reality, the platforms are challenged. Vinter claims to make its members' security a priority. The company ensures implementing tools to improve the detection of inappropriate behavior and strengthen moderation. However, on the side of the users, confidence is crumbling. Several testimonials report ignored reports or automated responses deemed insufficient.
The legal framework remains inconvenient to victims. However, the not granted publication of images is a matter of privacy, as defined by article 226-1 of the penal code. But as lawyer Aurore Bonavia explains, the steps are long, expensive, and often dissuasive. Identify the authors, often protected by anonymity or hosted outside Europe, is the obstacle course.
To fill this void, citizen initiatives are emerging. Garance, several times harassed, reacted. She launched an Instagram account, named @balancetonvinted_, to collect testimonies and raise awareness. In just 24 hours, more than 1,500 people subscribed to it. This shows the extent of the problem. Despite this visibility, she regrets the persistent inaction of the platform. Concrete measures remain rare.
Meanwhile, some forums continue to broadcast stolen content without fear of sanction. Digital tools are also diverted to violate intimacy. This aggravates the risks. As long as these practices persist, the users remain exposed. Online harassment on these platforms is no longer anecdote. It becomes a matter of society.
