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Home / Event Management, Volume 26, Number 7

Perceptions of Sexual Assault at Music Festivals

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Authors: Williams, Karen J. 1 ; Murray, Duncan W. 2 ; 

Source: Event Management, Volume 26, Number 7, 2022, pp. 1521-1536(16)

Publisher: Cognizant Communication Corporation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3727/152599522X16419948391195

This article examines perceptions of sexual assault at music festivals. The context of a music festival tacitly encourages women to dress in a way that is consistent with the atmosphere of the event, and in ways that are "on trend." However, there is strong evidence that victims who dress in more revealing attire face issues in relation to victim blame, with their own culpability questioned. Given recent reports on sexual assault at music festivals, research investigating perceptions by the general public of sexual assault at such festivals, is timely. Utilizing netnography and an instrumental case study approach, data were collected via a discussion forum on the Daily Mail website, with over 900 responses examined. Employing thematic analysis, core themes to emerge included: victim blame, self-responsibility for safety and its connection with dress, context and location, that no assault occurred, and aspects of the victim's appearance. These themes are unpacked and then discussed as reflective of the broader issue of rape culture. Practical implications regarding policy and event reputation are provided.

Keywords: MUSIC FESTIVALS; NETNOGRAPHY; RAPE CULTURE; SEXUAL ASSAULT; VICTIM BLAME

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: UniSA Online, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia 2: UniSA Business, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

Publication date: 19 September 2022

This article was made available online on 10 March 2022 as a Fast Track article with title: "Perceptions of Sexual Assault at Music Festivals".

More about this publication?
  • Event Management, an International Journal, intends to meet the research and analytic needs of a rapidly growing profession focused on events. This field has developed in size and impact globally to become a major business with numerous dedicated facilities, and a large-scale generator of tourism. The field encompasses meetings, conventions, festivals, expositions, sport and other special events. Event management is also of considerable importance to government agencies and not-for-profit organizations in a pursuit of a variety of goals, including fund-raising, the fostering of causes, and community development.

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