“Upskirting,” Homosociality, and Craftmanship: A Thematic Analysis of Perpetrator and Viewer Interactions

‘Upskirting’ is the action or practice of surreptitiously taking photographs or videos up a female’s skirt or dress. In the UK it is an offence. However, internationally, laws are uneven. Understanding how perpetrators account for their actions becomes an important question.  Here we present the findings of our thematic analysis of posts on the ‘upskirting’ website, The Candid Zone. Our analysis shows that posters and respondents frame this activity as artistic and technical, providing each other with advice and guidance on where, and how to get the ‘best’ shots. We conceptualize this as form of abuse as homosociality and craftsmanship.