Aria Grant

CYSE 201S

Professor Woodbury

February 18, 2025

Article Review: “Perceptions of Revenge Pornography and Victim Blame” by Tegan S. Starr and Tiffany Lavis

Abstract

This article review evaluates Tegan S. Starr’s and Tiffany Lavis’ “Perceptions of Revenge Pornography and Victim Blame.” The article contributes to existing literature on revenge pornography and victim blaming, offering strong evidence linking the length of a sexual relationship with a partner to receive social backlash. While the study is sound it could benefit from a broader pool of relationship length.

Summary

Tegan S. Starr’s and Tiffany Lavis’ article begins with an explanation of the terms “revenge porn” and “victim blame.’ They identify how an intimate image is obtained by the perpetrator, the length of time a relationship occurred, and the level of trust of the perceiver as the three factors contribute to victim blame in the context of revenge porn. Using data gathered from participants’ reactions to fictional scenarios, Starr and Lavis assessed the responses from participants.

Methodology

Starr and Lavis utilized a group of 186 participants that were majority female and Caucasian, with more than half of the participants engaging in intimate text messages or Snapchat messages (Starr & Lavis, 2018). An online survey was used to inquire about two separate scenarios of revenge pornography, with the lengths of the relationship being either one month or one year, and all relationships were heterosexual. All participants were shown images, without the individual’s face and asked to rate the image based on nudity and victim blame. A mean score and standard deviation were created for each question posed.

Findings

Starr and Lavis found that how the intimate image was obtained had a negligible difference in victim blame. However, a significant difference was found between the two lengths of relationship that were tested. The relationship that was stated to have lasted one year had a decreased amount of victim blame when compared to the one-month counterpart.

Conclusion

The article is a valuable addition to existing literature surrounding revenge pornography and victim blame. Future studies would benefit from the addition of Starr and Lavis’ findings. The article is from a peer-reviewed journal, no impartiality is identifiable within the study and the scientific method is present throughout the article. The article brings concern for the rising tide of intimate images being spread or created in retaliation by ex-partners or celebrities. This article contributes to the identification of revenge pornography, the biases that exist for the perceiver, and how these biases affect the perceiver’s viewpoint.

References

Starr, T., & Lavis, T. (2018). Perceptions of Revenge Pornography and Victim Blame. International      Journal of Cyber Criminology, 12(2), 427–438. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3366179