Vanessa Hudgens says nude pic scandal was “traumatic”

Poor Vanessa – who apparently thinks the scandal that resulted from the release of her naked photos was some kind of trauma inflicted upon her, instead of something she did to herself – has rallied, and gave a heart-wrenching interview to Seventeen magazine talking about that devastating time in her life.

“I’m much better now,” the High School Musical star, 18, tells Seventeen magazine for its February issue. “But truthfully I don’t like talking about it.” She now says of the intimate posing session, “It was something that was meant to be private, and even though it isn’t anymore, I’d still like to keep it as private as I can.”

Of the tempest that the pictures caused, she says, “It was very traumatic, and I am extremely upset it happened. I hope all my fans can learn from my mistake and make smart decisions. But I wouldn’t have been able to get through it if it wasn’t for my family, friends and fans, who supported me all along the way.”

Asked how she had been informed that the photos had gone public, Hudgens answers, “I found out from my manager. We heard some story was going to break in the tabloids, and I was like, What?!? A few days later, the picture came out while I Was on vacation in Australia. Thank God, I wasn’t home – it would have sucked if I was at home. So I got to be away from L.A. for about a millisecond. But when I came back, it got kind of crazy.”

[From People]

Who in the world would have guessed that a young celebrity taking naked photos of herself could have ended up in a scandal? If I were famous, I’d make it my job to make sure that I was in clothes 110% of the time. I would become a Never Nude (bonus points if you catch the reference) and wear jean shorts and a tank top in the shower. What’s the most important lesson Vanessa Hudgens has learned from all this?

“With the Internet these days, you don’t have a personal life. Nothing is private: Everyone knows everything, and they can find out everything about you. You’re not as safe as you think you are, and you have to be aware of the people you’re around.”

[From People]

Is Vanessa saying she’s learned not to email naked photos of herself? She’s sorta vague, but I’m going to interpret her quote the most salacious way possible, and read it that she’s learned that emailing her naked photos is not nearly as safe as she thought it was. JayBird’s goal for next week: only email half of the naked photos I did this week. Thank you, Vanessa Hudgens, for teaching me such a difficult lesson.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s a rare photo of Vanessa with her clothes on at the 2007 American Music Awards. Images thanks to PR Photos. Click here for the NSFW photos.

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