A North American study details the motivations behind this new type of visual assault sent to non-consenting recipients.

“ When I get a dickpic (photo of a penis) I feel disgust and surprise,” explains Clementine, “ and in one case I got such a rejection that I threw my phone across the room. "

The astonishing thing, as a North American scientific study has found, is that many men are convinced that it turns their unwilling recipients on, in spite of themselves. If we leave aside the consensual exchanges of images during erotic games, the first thing to remember is that the unwanted sending of this type of photo is prohibited by law in France.

" Unsolicited dickpics can be located in the continuum of sexual violence, " explain Flora Oswald (University of Pennsylvania) and her Canadian psychologist colleagues at the University of British Columbia and Kwantlen Polytechnic University in a study published in The Journal of Sex Research .

Very surprising motivations

The researchers analyzed the responses of 1,087 men recruited from college students, on social networks and through an online polling system, to try to understand the basis for this type of assault. Half of them admitted to having already sent unsolicited dickpics! The originality of the study is above all to have asked the men questioned, whose age ranged from 16 to 75 years (on average 30-33 years), to answer questionnaires evaluating in particular their sexism and their narcissism. Unsurprisingly, men who send unsolicited dickpics are more sexist and more narcissistic than others.

But the most amazing is the inventory of the aggressors' motivations (several possible answers for each person questioned).

First, the belief that it can seduce a woman: a third did it " in the hope that the person will want to have sex " and half " in the hope of receiving the same type of image by return ”. One in two senders do this in order to "turn the recipient on " or "to show their sexual attraction to someone ". One in five attackers considers that " it is a normal way of flirting " or that " by sending enough, someone will end up responding favorably ".

A sometimes misogynistic expression

One in four does so because they are " proud of the appearance of (his) penis and want to share it with others " or because " sending pictures of his penis turns him on ". One in ten because he " doesn't trust the look of his penis and hopes someone will respond positively to boost (his) self-esteem ."

A few senders (7%) " like the idea of ​​angering someone they are in conflict with " or " appreciate the power to force someone to look at (their) penis without their consent ", and, 5% " Dislike feminism, and sending penis photos is a way of punishing women who try to take power from men ."

The authors of the study warn against the generalization of their results obtained with volunteers and which do not include the diversity of sexual orientations. They also believe that there is a lack of studies on the lived experience of those who are victims of this type of aggression.

What to do in practice if we receive this type of image? " Do not erase the image, keep it, and go to the police station ", advises lawyer Emmanuel Pierrat, author of Sex and the law (La Musardine, 2019). He recalls that it is illegal in France: " We can even consider three possible qualifications: the dissemination of pornographic messages, sexual exhibition and cyber-harassment, " he explains to Figaro .