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Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Poster
Degree Type
Undergraduate
Department
Philosophy
Mentor
Dr. Cassie Herbert
Mentor Department
Philosophy
Abstract
Silence can be used in many ways. In a commodity model of sex, silence can be taken as consent, as it lacks a verbal rejection. The commodity model can also assume that any lack of a “no” suffices as consent. In this model, a participant's silence may then follow sexual interaction as a defense mechanism against the consequences that can follow speaking out about adverse experiences. Silence from those who are part of a class that faces resistance for speaking out can serve as a defense, an attempt to avoid undesirable consequences that are faced by those who do speak out about their own negative experiences. (Though some defensive silences can carry their own harm.) This defensive use of silence is bolstered by social and cultural feedback displaying examples of those who break their silence about their negative experiences and the consequences that they in turn face for breaking that silence. This study examines these defensive silences and the cultural norms that accompany them under the commodity model of sex.
Recommended Citation
O'Dowd, Sara, "The Commodification of Silence" (2025). University Research Symposium. 507.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/rsp_urs/507
