Exhibitionism is defined by the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) as a
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psycho-medical discourse, exhibitionism is defined as abnormal and devoid of sexual
motivation, and ‘normal’ female sexuality is often construed as
passive. This study sought to explore the ways in which women exhibitionists
themselves construct their activities. Six women were interviewed online about their
motivations to exhibit and the perceived effects of exhibitionism. Using discourse
analysis, we found that the women promoted and normalized their exhibitionism
utilizing repertoires such as ‘personal fulfilment’,
‘self as responsible’, and ‘exhibitionism as socially
supported’. Notably, the women tended to deploy traditional psycho-medical
discourse around male exhibitionists to augment their own, more positive,
self-constructions. The alternative constructions of women’s exhibitionism
are discussed as well as the unitary conceptualization of paraphilia.
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