Maddy Coy

Glamour modelling and the marketing of self-sexualization Critical reflections

• This article explores glamour modelling and the surrounding discourses of empowerment and objectification through the lens of iconic UK model Jordan (aka Katie Price), who became famous as a glamour model, and particularly for the size of her surgically enhanced breasts. We include analysis of recent UK television documentaries on glamour modelling — Glamour Girls and Page Three Teens to illustrate current debates about objectification and agency in mainstream commercialized sex, and situate this alongside evidence of a rise in cosmetic surgery and suggestions that young women increasingly view glamour modelling and lap/pole dancing as attractive career options, embedded in the discourse of empowerment. How far does claiming Jordan as embodying feminism serve to challenge gendered power relations? •

Lads’ Mags, Young Men’s Attitudes towards women and acceptance of myths about sexual aggression:

This commentary is a precursor to a forthcoming study exploring young men’s consumption of ‘lads’ mags’ – lifestyle magazines aimed at young men that feature young women in sexualized poses – specifically, their implications for men’s attitudes towards women and sexual aggression. Here we give an overview of existing research that has informed our research questions, in order to initiate discussions about the impacts of lads’ mags on male readers. We argue that in an increasingly sexualized media environment, lads’ mags serve as a powerful tool in the mainstreaming of sexist images and ideals. Whilst we acknowledge the complexity of debates on whether sexually explicit materials cause individuals to be more violent/aggressive, we propose that there is nevertheless merit in exploring lads’ mags as a genre that affects readers’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, women, sex and sexuality.

Roads to Nowhere? Mapping Violence Against Women Services

This article reports on two separate research projects that use mapping techniques, specifically Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to assess the spatial characteristics of access to specialized support services for women who have experienced domestic/sexual violence, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and sexual exploitation. In the first project, maps document the location of specialized violence against women (VAW) services across nations and regions of the United Kingdom, demonstrating many gaps in provision. In the second project, mapping techniques assess the distance and direction women traveled in their journeys to access specialized support services (specifically shelters) when escaping domestic violence. Policy outcomes and conclusions and possibilities for using GIS for feminist research on violence against women are discussed.

From ‘no means no’ to ‘an enthusiastic yes’: Changing the Discourse on Sexual Consent Through Sex and Relationships Education

How sexual consent should be discussed with young people is the subject of current policy debates and contestations in the UK. While the current Westminster government violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy (Home Office, 2011) and subsequent action plans recognise the importance of addressing consent, with no statutory relationships and sex education there are few contexts in which these conversations with young people routinely take place. Organisations that work with young people as victims/survivors of violence and through school-based primary prevention programmes have long identified sexual consent as an issue which requires specialist attention and intervention (see e.g. Coy et al., 2010; EVAW, 2011).

Ethics as Process, Ethics in Practice: Researching the Sex Industry and Trafficking

There is limited literature which explores the ethical dilemmas of researching women’s involvement in the sex industry, and an even thinner discussion of how these might be accentuated when researching trafficking for sexual exploitation. Whilst methodological robustness of studies on prostitution and trafficking is hotly debated in terms of philosophical approach and sample size, ethical dimensions have received far less attention. Drawing on our own research on the sex industry, we raise discussion points about ethical dilemmas that researchers experience during study design and fieldwork, and suggest how these might be negotiated in practice.

Joining the dots on sexual exploitation of children and women: A way forward for UK policy responses

A combination of high profile cases, enquiries and a steadily building research evidence base has seen sexual exploitation of children (CSE) gain prominence and urgency as a policy issue in the UK. This has followed a paradigm shift that frames CSE as a form of abuse and distanced it from exploitation through prostitution and the sex industry. In turn this has resulted in a focus on the vulnerability of individual young people rather than structural inequalities that connect CSE with sexual exploitation of adult women, despite the multiple similarities and overlaps. A gendered analysis has disappeared from view, leading to men who pay for sex with young people becoming invisible. The article reviews policy approaches to CSE and explores the links between exploitation of girls and of adult women, concluding that those concerned with stopping sexual exploitation should support calls for policymakers to address those who pay for sex.