Candaulism

The most popular definition of candaulism is a sexual behavior, or the fantasy of it, in which a man exposes his female partner—or private photos of her—to others for their voyeuristic enjoyment. The practice of two persons engaging in sexual activity while a third party observes is one definition of it. The voyeur typically watches from a concealed position.

The phrase refers to the actions of King Candaules, an ancient king who intended to show his servant his nude wife without her knowledge. Richard von Krafft-Ebing, a German psychiatrist, first used it in his well-known book Psychopathia Sexualis.

More About Candaulism

There are various types of candaulism. It could be a man pressuring or coercing his female spouse into dressing provocatively or tightly in public. In public, he might even take off his female partner's clothes. For example, at a swinger's event, a man may pressure or coerce his partner into having sex with someone else. He might even push or coerce her into engaging in pornography or prostitution. Candaulism can also occur when a man shares explicit images of his girlfriend online without the female partner's awareness.

Sadger thinks that vandalism fully identifies with his partner's body; in fact, he is self-disclosing in his thoughts. His theory has never been validated, though.

Although voyeurism and candaulism are closely related, there is a significant difference between the two. Couples that engage in sexual activity and practice candaulism do so while being aware of the third party's presence. With voyeurism, this is not the case. Even though this type of sexual behavior involves three persons, this arrangement is not regarded as a threesome because only two people are physically having sex.