Definition of Voyeurism Essays - 1212 Words

In the United States, our privacy is becoming less and less every day. There are video cameras surrounding us everywhere, the government can track our cell phones, and anyone can see everything we post on the internet. However; the topic I chose, voyeurism, is defined as the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature. The term comes from the French voyeur, one who looks and a male voyeur is commonly labeled Peeping Tom. But in this day in age, what exactly is defined as â€Å"spying†? Especially in todays society, the notion of voyeurism is unclear. Reality shows like Big Brother, Jersey Show, and The†¦show more content†¦Meaney and Rye (2007) in fact stated that, â€Å"voyeurism is pathological by some criteria and criminal by others.† In other words, everyone has a different reason for doing it. While I know voyeurism has gone on for many years, I was surprised to find that recent interpretations of the Bible mentioned it. Brad Embry (2007) wrote that, â€Å"in the scene of Noah’s nakedness in Gen. 9.22-24 it suggested that Noah’s curse, which lands on Canaan owing to what his father Ham had done, was a response to a sexually deviant act on the part of Ham.† Leviticus 18 and 20 both provide support for this claim and actually uses the language, ‘uncovering nakedness’. Embry also states that the â€Å"assertion is made that the voyeuristic position is the likely explanation for Noah’s reaction against Ham: it was simply the act of seeing Noah uncovered that warranted the cursing from Noah.† Back then there was an even more special importance of ‘nakedness’ than today. Voyeurism was also a big part of the Romantic Period. They believed that the more remote the victim is from an observer, the more the observer derives pleasure. â€Å"The Deat h of Sardanapalus† is one of the earliest and most poignant examples of â€Å"male gaze†. Tudor (2010) stated that â€Å"some of the salient observations of Berger concerning â€Å"male gaze† are that the womanShow MoreRelatedThe Truman Show vs Rear Window Essay1695 Words   |  7 Pagesissues of watching and voyeurism in film? The intention of this essay is to discuss both films (The Truman Show, 1998 and Rear Window, 1954) alongside established theoretical criticism (Laura Mulvey and Norman K. Denzin) in an attempt to demonstrate how the issues of watching and voyeurism, as seen in todays mainstream Hollywood cinema, both engages and entices the spectator and to look at how the definition of the voyeur has changed. Before entering into a discussion about voyeurism in Rear Window andRead MoreWhat Makes A Paraphilic Disorder?1099 Words   |  5 Pagesthe the person committing the act, it has little to no effects on society and most often goes unnoticed. Accord ing to the DSM 5, voyeurism is also known as a one of the eight paraphilic disorders. To begin with, what is a paraphilic disorder? In the DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ) paraphilic disorders are often misunderstood as a definition for ANY unusual sexual behavior. This is false. Characteristics of a paraphilic disorder include personal distress about the particularRead MoreThe Colonial Harem By Malek Alloula1392 Words   |  6 Pagesmany of these photographs are, and he does so by explaining that the way the Algerian couples and family posed in these photos was actually very strange and foreign to them. And also that these photographs presented families in more of the European definition of a family. As he also uses this chapter to show how the French photographer tried to create narrative of how much better and improved Algerian couples are after the French arrivals with their teachings of â€Å"civilization.† The sixth chapter, â€Å"TheRead MoreTheme Of Voyeurism1768 Words   |  8 PagesNovember 1st, 2017 Voyeurism: Helping to Solve Murders Since 1954 Alfred Hitchcock has always been known for his suspenseful and action filled films. His 1954 production of the movie Rear Window is no contradiction to that. Throughout Rear Window, many different motifs and themes are splayed out for the audience to dwell upon. One well seen theme is voyeurism. Within the movie, the audience is challenged with this theme, and left with the uncertainty about the power of voyeurism. Some critics believeRead MoreVoyeurism and Surveillance: The Act of Performance Essay1677 Words   |  7 Pageswhich it is debated as an invasion of privacy but at the same time, it offers a sense of safety and security by establishing that through surveillance that an individual must behave accordingly. In literature, the idea of surveillance, the gaze and voyeurism affects the way that the characters portray themselves. It becomes an act or a performance. Works like William Gibson and Bruce Sterlings, The Difference Engine and Nancy Lee’s short stories â€Å"S isters†, â€Å"Valentine† and â€Å"Sally, in Parts† uses theseRead MoreSex Crimes2211 Words   |  9 PagesUnited States, regardless of the intent. Voyeurism and Exhibitionism Voyeurism refers to a sexual impulsion to peep into someone elses sexual activities. A voyeur remains in secret while getting sexually aroused by watching unsuspecting couples engage getting unclothed or engaged in sexual acts. Exhibitionism has the opposite effect, whereby a person gains sexual gratification by being watched while getting unclothed or suspended in sexual acts. Voyeurism, a deviation from normal sexual desiresRead MoreThe Story The Living Room 900 Words   |  4 Pagescolumns that border on self-deprecation, intruding on a journalist’s own life and the lives of their family members. Joanna Gill says the genre, dubbed â€Å"emotional pornography† and â€Å"death journalism† by some writers, allows for an unhealthy amount of voyeurism and indulgence (82). Journalists who write within this genre are criticized for exploiting their personal experiences and the experiences of their loved ones for a story, and the situation becomes more complicated w hen a journalist has not askedRead MoreEssay on Reality Television Shows1317 Words   |  6 Pagesis no exact definition of Reality Television and people also have different opinions of what it is. But it tends be a combination of genres such as: documentary, drama and many other genre’s depending on the type show. It can also be described as ‘ a hybrid of non-fiction and entertainment elements’. Charlie Parsons, creator of the television show, Survivor defines reality TV as ‘Shows containing producer created environments that control contestant behaviour. But this definition does not includeRead MoreThe Chicago School Professional Psychology816 Words   |  4 Pagesrange of sexual act. As a general definition, according to World Health Organization (WHO) (2012) sexual violence is defined as: â€Å"any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic, or otherwise directed, against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited to home and work.† On the other hand, this is quite broad definition and more detailed descriptionRead More How Cinema and Theater Convey Pleasure in the Acts of Search and Lust1867 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema†, British film maker Laura Mulvey attempts to demystify how pleasure can be fulfilled in film. Contending that a pleasure in looking (scopohilia) and a pleasure in possessing the female as what to be look ed at (voyeurism) fufills the audience’s desires, Mulvey suggests how filmmakers use this knowledge to create film that panders to our innate desires. In â€Å"Meshes of the Afternoon† by Maya Deren and â€Å"Vertigo† by Alfred Hitchcock, it is seen that Mulvey’s argument—the