Voyeurism

:Voyeur redirects here, for the video game series see Voyeur (video game) and for the blink-182 song see Voyeur (song).

Voyeurism is a practice in which an individual derives sexual pleasure from observing other people. Such people may be engaged in sexual acts, or be nude or in underwear, or dressed in whatever other way the "voyeur" finds appealing. The word derives from French verb voir (to see) with the -eur suffix that translates as -er in English. A literal translation would then be "seer" or "observer", with pejorative connotations.

Also, the word voyeur can define someone who receives enjoyment from witnessing other people's suffering or misfortune; see schadenfreude.

Two actors
Young woman watches secretly while two male actors make love. Silk painting; China, Qing Dynasty.

Characteristics

Voyeuristic practices may take a number of forms but their characteristic feature is that the voyeur does not directly interact with the object of their voyeurism (often unaware that they are being observed), instead observing the act from a distance by peeping through an opening or using aids such as binoculars, mirrors, cameras (including camera phones and video cameras), etc. This stimulus sometimes becomes part of a masturbation fantasy during or after the observation.

Some voyeurs derive sexual pleasure from looking up skirts or trousers, known as an upskirt. This can be accomplished by camera or simply by a chance viewing when a person sits down. Some voyeurs also derive pleasure by looking down shirts and viewing breasts, particularly when a person is bending over. This is commonly referred to as a downblouse.

When done openly, voyeurism may be tolerated or even appreciated, especially if the person(s) viewed is/are exhibitionist. However, non-consensual voyeurism is considered an invasion of privacy.

Criminalization

In some cultures, voyeurism is considered to be deviant and even a sex crime. In the United Kingdom, non-consensual voyeurism became a criminal offence on May 1, 2004, under s67 Sexual Offences Act 2003. However, some societies tolerate it depending upon the circumstances (e.g., adolescent "Peeping Toms" and the UK dogging craze). The stereotypical voyeur is male, although many women also enjoy being voyeurs. In R v Turner (2006) All ER (D) 95 (Jan) the defendant was the manager of a sports centre who recorded footage of four women taking showers. There was no indication that the footage had been shown to anyone else or distributed in any way. The defendant pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and asked that another offence be taken into consideration. He expressed remorse. The Court of Appeal confirmed a sentence of nine months imprisonment to reflect the seriousness of the defendant's abuse of trust and the traumatic effect on the victims.

Some institutions, such as gyms and schools, have banned camera phones because of the privacy issues they raise in areas like changerooms. Saudi Arabia banned the sale of camera phones nationwide for a period, but reallowed their sale in 2004. South Korea requires that all camera phones sold in the country make a clearly audible sound whenever a picture is taken.

Voyeurism in fiction

*Voyeurism is something of a clichéd plot device in cinematic fiction, for instance in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Other examples include Fame and Porky's. Voyeurism is also shown for a brief period in other films, such as Amelie, American Pie and Cocoon.
*The book "Hell" by Henri Barbusse focuses entirely on the story of a voyeur.
*Another treatment, albeit tongue-in-cheek, occurs in Final Destination 3.
*A serious psychological treatment of the topic in cinema was done in Peeping Tom.
*The anime Colorful is devoted almost entirely to the paraphilia.
*Ecouterism is a variant of voyeurism that involves listening rather than seeing.

Voyeurism: Encyclopedia BETA

Contents

Voyeurism

Characteristics

Criminalization

Voyeurism in fiction

DSM IV Classification

See also

Sexual criminals

External links