Kristin Davis and a Sex in the City Sex Tape Scandal

Kristin Davis may play Charlotte in "Sex in the City," the not-so-naughty gal in the group of the sex-obsessed friends, but in real life, Internet rumors are saying she could be the star of a scandalous sex tape.

Photos of someone who looks a lot like her, performing oral sex on an unknown male, have surfaced on the net, and the rumor mill is churning out the dirty details. TMZ reports that there are about twenty photos, and that they were taken about five years ago. A rep for Davis has told OK! magazine that she saw one of the pictures and that the woman in the photograph is not Kristin Davis. They are reportedly being negotiated for sale by a broker in California.

So, if Kristin Davis did decide to do a sex tape, or from the sounds of it, allow a few dirty pictures of her to be taken, is it really all that bad? For starters, if a woman allows pictures or video of herself engaging in sexual acts to be taken, she should realize that, no matter how she feels about the person taking the photos or video at the time, there is a possibility that other people may see them in the future, especially if she is a celebrity. It may seem fun and harmless at the time, but if that person chooses to release the sex tape or photos later on, it can cause the woman involved to experience pain, embarrassment, shame, and anger later on. But it really depends on who the woman is.

Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Pamela Anderson have all starred in their own sex tapes. Paris Hilton just gained more fame and attention than she already had, and although she seemed embarrassed by it at first, all it really did was help her career. No one even knew who Kim Kardashian was before her sex tape, and now she's the star of her own show. Pamela Anderson hadn't really been getting as much attention as she used to when her sex tape was released, so it just put her back in the public spotlight. These ladies definitely didn't lose anything by starring in their sex tapes.

The situation is different for Kristin Davis, however. She's known by her fans as a sweet, shy character, and this act caught on film may turn fans off somewhat. Photographs of a woman performing oral sex can also be very demeaning and make a woman appear a little subservient and weak. It has definitely got her name in the headlines, however, so it's really up to the public to decide how to take it.

There have also been allegations that these photos are just an attempt to gain publicity for the "Sex in the City" movie, but this seems unlikely, as the movie is garnering plenty of attention already, and it would be ridiculous to try to sell tickets using such a cheap trick. But you can't put anything past Hollywood.

For a sex tape to actually benefit someone, it needs to follow these guidelines: the female or male in the tape needs to be famous or semi-famous; the "star" can't have a squeaky-clean reputation to begin with; the person looking to benefit from the sex tape actually needs to be the female, because if the male tries to use it to his advantage, he just comes off looking like a jerk (e.g., Dustin Diamond); and the woman involved has to feel bad about it (or at least act like she does).

So sex tapes aren't all bad for celebrities, but why do they do it? Probably just for the fun of it. Maybe they get drunk and it just seems like a good idea, who knows? Average people do stupid things that they regret, too, especially when it comes to sex. If two average people make a sex tape, however, the chances of the woman benefiting from it are slim to none. So keep this in mind, ladies: if you make a sex tape with a man and you break up with him, all of his friends will see it; he'll see it anytime he wants; and he could post it on the internet somewhere. So he will have the satisfaction of making a joke out of you and it'll be very difficult to live down. Unfortunately, when it comes to us average folk, the woman always seems to be seen more negatively than the man involved. So unless you have a serious fetish for watching yourself on film that you just can't control, just keep your sex life private.

And guys, keep in mind that if you film yourself having sex with a woman without her knowledge, you can get in major trouble with the law and could possibly do time in jail if the tapes are ever found.

So sex tapes should probably just be left to the "beautiful people" who can further or even create careers from them, and an average woman who "performs" in one needs to be aware of the consequences and long-term effects of doing so.