What’s the deal with ‘upskirt’ photos?


Periodically I read media reports such as this one of someone getting busted for clandestinely taking ‘upskirt’ photos, which I understand to mean that they position their cameras in such a way that they can see up the skirts worn by women.

″I didn’t like the way he would be around me constantly whenever I wore a skirt or dress. Would stand very close for no reason with his phone facing out in his hand,” a bank employee, who was not identified, told police. “Last time I wore a dress he tried to video me I caught on and he grew flustered, screamed, ‘dammit,’ and ran out of the room. After that incident I stopped wearing dresses on days he worked.”

The woman added that she didn’t file a complaint because she feared losing her job.

According to police, Raus admitted that he filmed the women with his Sony Experia cell phone and would watch the videos later, when he was away from the women.

Bank security videos also showed Raus acting suspiciously around women, with a report stating he also used a bag with the cell phone in it which he held at awkward angles — causing one bank customer to go and speak to a teller.

I am baffled by both the technical difficulties involved in taking such photos surreptitiously as well as the dubious benefits. It must be very hard to position the camera is such a way as to not be detected and that high level of difficulty is likely to result in lousy quality photos and videos of women’s underwear, far inferior to anything you can see in everyday advertisements for those garments. But I am not a photographer and maybe it is easier than I think. Perhaps it is the sheer thrill of pulling this off at all that is its own reward.

Comments

  1. says

    Pushing personal boundaries would be about seeking the high that comes from courting danger, similar to excessively fast driving, illegal climbing, stock manipulation, gambling etc., none of which setting restrictive rules can stop. The feelings of the victims are not considered until punishment makes the perpetrator face the glare of community disapproval.

  2. chigau (違う) says

    I’ve always been puzzled by the technical aspect.
    If you get caught at it, how do you avoid the kick to your throat?

  3. Mark Dowd says

    “I’ve always been puzzled by the technical aspect.
    If you get caught at it, how do you avoid the kick to your throat?”

    By being a man with power over your victims. Tabby has it right. The impulse driving this is the same as what drives rapists.

  4. Smokey says

    They have dedication and problem-solving skills, I’ll give them that. Looks good on the resume.

    And it’s nice to see that there are people more desperate than me. My misanthropy is validated.

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