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Blurred Boundaries: Establishing the Contours of Unwanted Sexual Attention

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Reclaiming the Night-Time Economy

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Abstract

What, precisely, is unwanted sexual attention? This chapter explores the ways in which young adults understand, construct, and experience unwanted sexual attention within the context of licensed venues. It shows that unwanted sexual attention constitutes a broad range of behaviours, ranging from seemingly ‘minor’ instances of staring, groping, and verbal comments, through to sexual assault and rape. However, what constitutes unwanted sexual attention is a far from straightforward question, with the contours of the boundaries between ‘wanted’ and ‘not wanted’, ‘harmful’ and ‘not harmful’ fluid and malleable. Unwanted sexual attention is a situated and context-dependent occurrence. These findings challenge and further complicate existing understandings of unwanted sexual attention and sexual violence and have important implications for the role of venues and bystanders in responding to unwanted sexual attention.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In saying this, it is not my intention to ignore or downplay the significant barriers faced by all victims of sexual violence in identifying, labelling, and disclosing their experiences.

  2. 2.

    See Lowe et al. (2012) in relation to laughter as signifying participant discomfort.

  3. 3.

    This definition is based on Leonard et al.’s description of heterosexism and heterosexist violence (2008: 4).

  4. 4.

    Alex uses the term ‘sauna’ to refer to sex on premises venues for men who have sex with men.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. La Trobe University, Australia, Melbourne, Australia

    Bianca Fileborn

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  1. Bianca Fileborn
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Fileborn, B. (2016). Blurred Boundaries: Establishing the Contours of Unwanted Sexual Attention. In: Reclaiming the Night-Time Economy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58791-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58791-6_2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

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