Jade Rasif Knows You Fap to Her Instagram
Top image credit: Jade Rasif The Urban Dictionary defines thirst traps as “A sexy photography or flirty message posted on social media for the intent of causing others to publicly profess their attraction.” Think boobs, butts and puffy lips. These traps are set “To feed the posters ego or need for attention, at the expense of the time, reputation and sexual frustration of those who view the image or reply.” So while some of us satisfy our need for attention by posting an angsty Facebook status, a thoughtful meme, or a cryptic Instagram story in a font size so small it’s unreadable, others do it through thirst trapping. And a thirst trap, when viewed by the right person, at the right time, can yield promising results. Just ask Jade Rasif.
Image credit: Instagram. Singapore’s highest paid DJ and also an actress at Mediacorp, Jade Rasif has a 99% success rate when it comes to setting thirst traps on Instagram—something she’s more than proud of. “I love thirst trapping,” she tells me straight away. “It’s hilarious.” “Especially when I post a picture and my ex slides into my dms, and I get to screenshot it and have a laugh with my girlfriends.” Her honesty catches me off guard. Where others would shy away, deny, or feign confusion, Jade openly embraces her thirst trapping ways. When she was still on Snapchat, she would get sent one or two dick pics a week. “It was fun opening them with friends because it was like Snapchat dick pic roulette.” Beyond mere entertainment however, it doesn’t take me long to figure out that the thirst traps Jade sets are essentially power plays at work. While some thirst traps posted cast a wide net, aimed at soliciting the maximum number of likes and public admissions of affection from viewers, Jade’s thirst traps are specific to one person at a time. It is these people whom she refers to as her “targets” and “victims”, or more specifically, men she’s taken an interest in. “It’s not about looking pretty or hot,” she tells me. “It’s about projecting an image that inspires thirst in your target.” Depending on her victim of choice, Jade changes up her thirst traps accordingly. It could be cleavage one day, and butt cheeks the next. “I can’t speak for all men but the ones that me/my friends like are usually predictable (sorry guys).” A thirst trap is considered a success if the guy she’s interested in sees it, and proceeds to reach out and text her. Besides boasting a 99% success rate with her victims, each thirst trap she posts receives an average of 6000 likes and about 50 comments from other onlookers. To Jade, “Thirst trapping with friends is the online version of discussing what to wear to a party to impress your crush or to snub your ex.” “There’s also that satisfaction when it works. When it comes to wielding one’s sexuality to their advantage, Jade is clearly an expert—a fact that may be intimidating for some but empowering to others. Although she acknowledges that thirst trapping may be considered juvenile, she quickly brushes it off as just harmless fun.
Image credit: Instagram. But is it really? For as much as thirst trappers would like to believe that they’re in control of the situation, I see thirst traps as a double edged sword, such that neither trap-per nor trap-ee comes out on top. For us viewers, thirst traps can bring instant gratification, says Lisa Brateman, a psychotherapist and relationship specialist. “They stimulate fantasy without ever needing to leave the house,” she suggests, in an interview with GQ. “It offers a window—however limited—of legal snooping into what you want to see and the ability to fill in the blanks of what that person is like.” It’s like porn, but a lot more personal. It also takes little effort.
Image credit: Instagram. For viewers, thirst traps are also a source of twisted entertainment. Since thirst trapping is something most of us we would never do ourselves, Brateman says we become fascinated and captivated with those that do. This fascination however, is less along the lines of admiration and envy, and more of detached voyeurism from behind a screen. Thirst trappers are not just people we live vicariously through. They become almost a kind of spectacle, to scrutinise and to objectify; somebody who is only as relevant as his or her next thirst trap. In the past, we’ve discussed the power that comes with being objectified. At the same time, it’s important to also acknowledge how power can be lost to sexual objectification. “The posting of provocative pictures suggests a sense of control of how one wants to be perceived,” says Brateman. “Often there is an incessant desire for external validation and the comments on social media fill that need temporarily.” “This cycle of need requires continuous feeding. The attention is a distractor from loneliness which makes one feel valued and admired.” When I question Jade if she feels proud or confident about her appearance, she tells me, “Not really.” She goes on to explain, “I try my best to present myself in the most genuine, unfiltered way. I would be really upset if social media made people see me differently.”
Image credit: Instagram. Before I chanced upon Jade’s Instagram a year and a half ago, she had always been a kind of non-entity to me. I had heard of her before—a budding DJ and the daughter of fugitive lawyer David Rasif. I could also have sworn I saw her on a shuttle bus once when we were both at NUS (but I can’t be sure). Then Instagram introduced me to her via a thirst trap and I found myself thinking, “Jade Rasif is hot?” All it took was 3 seconds and a vaguely attractive picture for me to question and re-evaluate what had once been my “not very high” opinion of her. It’s The post Jade Rasif Knows You Fap to Her Instagram appeared first on RICE.
