Sex, Love and Abuse

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Sharon Hayes

   Pages 1-11

3. Enchantment and Romance

   • Sharon Hayes

   Pages 12-37

4. From Disney to Distortion

   • Sharon Hayes

   Pages 38-54

5. From Distortion to Abuse

   • Sharon Hayes

   Pages 55-70

6. Sexual Spaces

   • Sharon Hayes

   Pages 71-84

7. Sexism and Misogyny

   • Sharon Hayes

   Pages 85-107

8. Sexual Predation and Gendered Norms

   • Sharon Hayes

   Pages 108-125

9. Conclusion — A Geography of Abuse

   • Sharon Hayes

   Pages 126-135

10. Back Matter

    Pages 136-154

    PDF

This book explores the morality of love and sex, and how distortions of these sometimes develop into abuse. Hayes argues that there are strong similarities between different kinds of abusive relationships, and that these similarities arise out of the common narratives surrounding romantic love and the logic of intimate relationships.

• Sexual assault
• sexual violence
• domestic violence
• intimate partner abuse
• child abuse
• gender and crime
• romantic love
• sexual spaces
• moral geography
• misogyny
• morality
• violence

“This is an unconventional monograph offering a fresh look at the relationship between culture, love and abuse. … I enjoyed Hayes’ engagement with popular culture, and generally enjoyed her reflective, imaginative approach to enquiry. … This book is a provocation to think eclectically about the connections between sex, love, crime and culture, and deserves to be read.” (Jennifer Fleetwood, The British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 56 (1), January, 2016)

“The book is a sensitive and insightful critique of discourses of love, and ‘seeks to destabilize essentialist understandings’ of love, harm and intimacy … . The book is engaging, stimulating, and difficult to put down, and would appeal to academics and non-academics alike due to its versatility and applicability to everyday representations of love and romance … . I would highly recommend it … .” (Jennifer Sloan, Crime Media Culture, Vol. 11 (3), 2015)

• Queensland University of Technology, Australia

  Sharon Hayes

Sharon Hayes is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Justice at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Her critical analyses of gender and crime are published in journals such as Sexualities and Critical Criminology, and in previous monographs including Sex, Crime and Morality (2012) and The Politics of Sex Trafficking (Palgrave, 2013).