If you are a woman and you wear dresses or skirts, you are at risk. Not of injury, but of “upskirting.” If you have not heard of this rude behavior in South Carolina, you may soon. The state is considering making it against the law.
Upskirting is the practice of taking photos of a woman up her skirt or dress. It is done in secret and can happen anywhere: the mall, grocery store, on the bus or in a taxi. If you are dressed a certain way and someone has a camera, you could very well find yourself a victim. Until recently, upskirting was not considered illegal. Massachusetts changed all of that.
Some time ago, in Boston, a judge deemed that certain pictures were legal because the woman depicted in them was dressed. Since that ruling, opinions have changed and taking photos of a woman up her skirt is against the law. South Carolina is working on putting the same law on the books.
South Carolina is calling to revise the Peeping Tom law that is already in effect. It is illegal to eavesdrop and peep into people’s windows, and upskirting could be added to the list. If the law passes, the first offense will be a misdemeanor. Any future infractions would be considered felonious in nature.
While you can never be 100% certain of what those around you are doing, it pays to keep your wits about you. If you are wearing a skirt or dress, be sure to keep your legs crossed when you sit in public places. Keep an eye on those around you, especially if their cell phones were out. Do everything you can to reduce your risk of seeing your photo make its rounds on the Internet.
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