Autonomy and submission in digital self-exposure and violent exposure of women

Abstract

The article discusses the meanings of the experiences of women who have undergone unauthorized exposure to intimacy, focusing on the possibilities and challenges to exercising autonomy in the experience of sexuality. It starts with debates in the fields of feminist political theory and exposure in the digital culture. Field work consisted of in-depth interviews with 17 girls and women who had intimate images disseminated in an unauthorized manner, as well as with 10 health and care professionals who assisted women in this situation. It is observed that the problematization of the various dimensions of desire, and not just the differentiation of violence, is a fruitful way to understand the possibilities of experiencing sexuality by women autonomously, especially in its contemporary manifestations.