A voyeur is someone who is sexually gratified by observing people. Voyeurs typically become turned on watching people engaging in private acts, including sex. They may watch others in secret from a place where they are hidden from view.
Voyeurs typically become aroused through visual stimulation. They usually have different preferences that stimulate them. They may enjoy watching people undress, showering, or going about their private lives wearing little to no clothes. They may also enjoy watching people engaging in sexual acts, on their own, with sexual partners, or both.
However, voyeurs may also become aroused through aural stimulation. For example, they may get turned on listening to people masturbating or having sex in another room. They may also get sexual pleasure from hearing someone talk about their sex life or a sexual experience someone else had.
Voyeur is a French word meaning “one who sees.” It was adopted as an English word with sexual connotations around the start of the 20th century. It was originally used specifically for people who gain sexual pleasure from viewing others in private or intimate acts.
However, by the middle of the 20th century, its meaning had expanded to include any person or group interested in private or shocking details. For example, tabloid magazines may be called voyeurs because their stories pry into the lives of celebrities, often without their consent. While voyeurism has a history of being violating, education in the kink community around consent has changed this both legally and socially.
You could also say that people who enjoy watching porn are voyeurs. While the porn stars consent to being filmed having sex, they do not know the people who are watching them so they are in effect being watched in secret.
Many voyeurs manage their urges and find healthy ways to indulge them. However, some people struggle with voyeurism. These people may have voyeuristic disorder, a recognized psychiatric condition characterized by persistent and intense urges to spy on people that are nude or having sex.
