Cybercrimes

Open Access: No.

Abstract

“Upskirting” is the action or practice of surreptitiously taking photographs or videos up a female’s skirt or dress. In the United Kingdom, it is an offense. However, internationally, laws are uneven. Understanding how perpetrators account for their actions becomes an important question. Here, we present the findings of our thematic analysis of posts on the “upskirting” website, The Candid Zone. Our analysis shows that posters and respondents frame this activity as artistic and technical, providing each other with advice and guidance on where and how to get the “best” shots. We conceptualize this form of abuse as homosociality and craftsmanship.

Relevance

“Upskirting” is a form of “violence and misogyny” that extends “the production of pornography from a specialist industry to the wider (male) public”.  It includes elements of stalking, dehumanization, seixsm, patriarchal claims over women, and “invasive action into women’s space of world.”

The men who participate in upskirting online websites and forums use the practice to create a sense of “homosocial masculinity” in which women’s body parts are treated as mere “currency.” They see themselves as engaged not in violence but in a type of courageous craftsmanship.

Citation

Hall, M., Hearn, J., & Lewis, R. (2022). “Upskirting,” homosociality, and craftmanship: A thematic analysis of perpetrator and viewer interactions. Violence Against Women, 28(2), 532–550. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012211008981