Voyeurism

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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.

Mercury and Herse

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

[edit] 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.

The key element behind voyeurism--and the factor that distinguishes it from paraphilias such as mixoscopia--is the occulted nature of the voyeurs themselves. Part of the thrill of voyeurism may lie in almost being caught. For some, the closer the voyeur is to being discovered, the larger the thrill. This form of non-consensual voyeurism is considered an invasion of privacy.

Voyeurism may be tolerated or even appreciated if the people viewed are exhibitionists. This relationship is typically role-play where the exhibitionist pretends to not know of the voyeur's presence.

A subset of voyeurs derive sexual pleasure from looking under articles of clothing, an act known as an upskirt. This can be accomplished by camera or simply by a chance viewing up skirts or trousers. 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.

[edit] 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 offense on May 1, 2004, under section 67 of the 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 offense 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.

In Canada, voyeurism was not a crime when the case Frey v. Fedoruk et al. arose in 1947. In that case, in 1950, the Supreme Court of Canada decided courts could not criminalize peeping by classifying it as a breach of the peace; Parliament would have to specifically outlaw it. In 2004, the Parliament of Canada considered Bill C-2, which would have amended the Canadian Criminal Code to establish voyeurism as a sexual offense. ^[1] On November 1, 2005, section 162 was added to the Canadian Criminal Code, declaring voyeurism as a sexual offense. ^[2]

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.

[edit] 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 Amélie, 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.

• Ecouteurism is a variant of voyeurism that involves listening rather than seeing.

[edit] DSM IV Classification

According to DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, IV edition, 2000), where all psychiatric illnesses are represented as numerals to avoid confusion, voyeurism is classified as a paraphilia with code 302.82. ^[3]

[edit] See also

• Glory hole
• Paraphilia
• Ira Levin's novel Sliver (1991)
• the John Landis movie National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
• the Porky's movie series (1982, 1983, and 1985)
• the Voyeur video game series (1993, 1996)
• the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho (1960)
• Upskirt
• Cameltoe
• Downblouse
• Changeroom
• Secret photography

[edit] Notes

1. ^ http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Bills_ls.asp?Parl=38&Ses=1&ls=C2#canewoffencetxt
2. ^ http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/c-46/267262.html
3. ^ http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/voyeurismTR.htm

[edit] External links

• UK law on voyeurism
• Proposed US Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2003