Voyeurism
Voyeurs derive sexual pleasure from watching someone else - or multiple people - engaging in sexual or kinky activities.
As with every kinky role, voyeurs can also be switches, Sadists or masochists, and everything in between. There’s no exclusivity to being a voyeur; someone can be as much of a voyeur as an exhibitionist.
Is voyeurism legal?
The legality of voyeurism depends on consent. If you're found to have engaged in voyeurism without permission, regardless of whether the other person might have consented if they'd known, it would likely still be treated by the law as a crime.
Non-consensual voyeurism might include examples such as upskirting, recording or photographing someone without their knowledge, or other "peeping Tom" behaviour.
In the United States, being convicted of voyeurism can come with hefty financial burdens as well as jail time. In 2018, a couple in Washington state sued an employee of an aquatics center who violated women’s privacy by recording them in the changing room without their knowledge.
The woman in the lawsuit claimed that the secret recording has had detrimental effects on her mental health, changed how she interacts with her husband (a photographer) and diminished her love for swimming. Because she was so traumatised by these acts, her husband has had to make decisions that have impacted his career.
The judge in the lawsuit awarded $750,000 to the woman and $250,000 to the husband for this incident, as well as sentencing the voyeur to five years in prison.
Voyeurism without consent is considered a paraphilic disorder according to the DSM, as it’s likely to result in feelings of shame, emotional distress, and stress/anxiety for one or all parties involved.
What are some examples of voyeuristic activities?
From an ethical kink standpoint, voyeurism is only a kink if mutual consent exists.
Whilst some voyeurs may find excitement in the fantasy of watching or being watched without consent, ethical voyeurs will create scenarios in which the scene might feel non-consensual, but has actually been previously negotiated and agreed upon by all parties.
The fact that these kinks only require two individuals (at a minimum) and don’t have to involve sex means the possibilities are endless.
Examples of voyeurism (if you're permitted) include:
Watching or recording a partner perform a striptease
Taking erotic photographs of a partner
Watching an impact play scene at a public party or kink dungeon
Recording or photographing a submissive and Dominant engaging in power exchange activities
How do I know if I’m a voyeur?
The answer to that question is entirely up to you to find out!
Start small and work up to the big reveal
Try seeing how it feels to watch your partner touch themselves in front of you. From there, you may want to explore how it feels to watch your partner do other things, such as bathing, undressing, or engaging in one of their own kinks. Public dungeons and play parties are a great opportunity to explore these kinks in a safe - but more expanded - setting.
Don’t feel you can only be one or the other, or that you have to be everything in one
Keep in mind that you don’t have to be both of these roles; many people are voyeurs but not exhibitionists and vice-versa. You also don’t have to be one or both of these across all of the roles that you’re drawn to. Some individuals may find they are only exhibitionists or voyeurs in specific kink roles. One person may only be an exhibitionist as a Top, but not as a Caregiver for example.
However you choose to explore your voyeuristic tendencies, remember that consent must always be at the forefront of what you do - both your own consent, and that of others.
