ABSTRACT
There are divergent, multifaceted and often overlapping motivations for engaging in image-based sexual abuse, including revenge, sexual gratification, social status building or financial gain. In this chapter, the authors argue that power and control were overarching themes across these different motivations. Their survey and interview data revealed that men were significantly more likely than women to engage in image-based sexual abuse perpetration. The interviews with victim-survivors also demonstrated that image-based sexual abuse is often perpetrated as part of a pattern of domestic violence or intimate partner abuse. As such, the authors argue that it is important not to lose sight of the gendered nature of these behaviours, and the connections to masculine entitlement and privilege. Furthermore, they argue that the non-consensual taking or sharing of nude or sexual images has become a normalised practice, constituting a form of “social currency” and a conduit in which to engage in “impression management” and build social status impress among groups of peers. These findings are significant because they can help shape the design and implementation of effective criminal laws, as well as other interventions for responding to and preventing image-based sexual abuse.
