It's flattering for a man to get an unsolicited nude picture sent to him by a woman.

But if a man does the same thing, he's branded a pervert.

At least, that's the conclusion of a new study by scientists in Texas that has shed light on double standards when it comes to sexual harassment.

They looked into the differences in how men and women respond to messages that include nude photos.

According to the latest findings, both genders were judged equally when sending solicited sexts.

But researchers found unsolicited racy messages got a very different reaction depending on the gender of the person that sent them.

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Explicit photographs sent from women were more likely to be seen as 'flattery' while men who said the same text were branded as sexual harassment (Stock Image)

The study, conducted by Southwestern University, in Texas, asked 122 university undergraduates to read a brief vignette which described either a woman or a man sending a solicited or unsolicited nude picture to an acquaintance of the opposite sex.

Participants – who were equally split between men and women – were then asked to report back on their perceptions of the scenario.

The results were damning for men, with a majority of participants labelling the behaviour as ‘sexual harassment’, compared to the ‘flattering’ reaction that their female counterpart received.

Dr Traci Giuliano, corresponding author of the study, told MailOnline she anticipated the study would show a harsher reaction towards male behaviour.

‘Honestly, I wasn’t surprised by the results,’ she said.

‘As the mother of a high school student who just graduated, I’ve seen – much to my dismay – over the past 4 years that the unsolicited sending of nude pictures to females by males is pretty rampant and started in middle school, at least in the US.

‘My daughter and other girls certainly feel harassed by the barrage of unsolicited pictures – often accompanied by requests for pictures of the girls.

'Our results bear out that others have the same reaction.’

According to the study, female sext message senders are more likely to be seen as likeable, compared to men who send the same type of text.

This graph shows the perceived appropriateness of the sender of a sexually explicit text message, between genders and whether the sext was solicited or unsolicited

The study notes: ‘This pattern of results is consistent with previous research showing that women tend to have more negative attitudes and outcomes regarding unsolicited sext messages, such as feeling uncomfortable or threatened, whereas men tend to express feelings of flattery.’

‘Men are subject to stereotypical masculine ideals that dictate an obligatory sexual interest in women’s bodies,’ it adds.

According to the researchers, these latest findings demonstrate how education around sexually explicit messages needs to improve.

While female recipients often see unsolicited sext messages as inappropriate, men tend to forgive the behaviour because of societal pressure to react positively to a sexual advances.

IS IT HEALTHY TO SEND ‘SEXTS’ TO YOUR PARTNER? People who regularly sexually explicit messages to their partners are insecure in their relationship and more likely to cheat, a new study by the University of Alberta has revealed. Partners who frequently 'sext' one another are also more likely to seek out online pornography and exhibit 'infidelity-behaviours' on social media sites. But there is a bright side – couples who sext also reported higher levels of sexual satisfaction in the bedroom, compared to those who have never sent a titillating text. Researchers looked into the effects of sexting on 615 people and found that it is rarely a feature of a healthy relationship. 'This does not seem to be something that's part of a normal, healthy adult relationship,' psychology professor Michelle Drouin, who helped to oversee the study, told CBC Radio. 'They had low levels of commitment to their partner, more insecure attachment to the partner — maybe fearing the partner would leave, or not feeling very connected.' The study looked at heterosexual and same-sex couples of various ages, ethnicities, income and education levels. Researchers say the study was much broader than many previous research into sexting, which typically focus on young adults or teenagers. Advertisement

This could ‘blur the inappropriateness of unsolicited sext messages sent from women,’ the researchers warn.

Dr Giuliano, who works in the Department of Psychology at Southwestern, said: ‘I’m hopeful that the recent attention to issues like this – from the Harvey Weinstein scandal to the intense focus on Title IX on US college campuses – will make everyone aware of how unsolicited sexts are received and potentially decrease their occurrence',

Dr Giuliano and the team believe future research should examine participants’ rationale behind why they rated some genders as more inappropriate than others.

The researchers have also suggested looking into whether men and women are judged differently when they forward a nude photograph they have received to a friend.

The study, entitled ‘Not Cool, Dude: Perceptions of Solicited vs. Unsolicited Sext Messages from Men and Women', was published today in the journal, Computers in Human Behavior.