A Pennsylvania man, John Bednarik II, was arrested last week and charged with secretly videotaping a co-worker while she pumped breast milk in her office. Even more disturbing? There have been a smattering of similar arrests around the world. What's behind this blatant invasion of privacy? Here, a brief guide to this creepy practice:
What happened in the latest case?
A woman who works at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa., had taken off her shirt in her office, and was using her breast pump when she heard a noise. She looked up, and saw a hole in a ceiling tile directly above her desk, partially concealing what looked like a camera lens. She quickly got dressed and walked out, where she bumped into Bednarik as he emerged from an adjacent office. Police filed misdemeanor charges, saying he invaded his co-worker's privacy "for the purpose of his own sexual arousal and gratification." The university has fired Bednarik, who served as its Director of Campus Environment.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Do a lot of men get their kicks that way?
At least two cases eerily similar to the one in Pennsylvania have been documented. In Taiwan, a counseling teacher — who was on a school committee to promote gender equality and prevent sexual harassment — was recently arrested for allegedly planting a spy-cam in a nursing room, and filming five colleagues pumping breast milk. In 2009, a Michigan man, Gregory Mannino, was sentenced to two years' probation and 150 hours of community service after he was convicted of secretly videotaping one of his co-workers pumping breast milk.
Is this becoming a trend?
No, "it would be a little sensationalist to say that this is a 'trend,'" says Erin Gloria Ryan at Jezebel. We're talking about a few cases, although one is enough to make you sick. "What possible appeal could watching a woman pull her boob out and attach it to a machine hold for men?" Not to be alarmist, says Shawna Cohen at Mommyish, but this is an actual fetish. "It even has a name — lactophilia (aka 'erotic lactation' or 'milk fetishism')." And, of course, we're only hearing about the creeps who get caught.
Sources: Daily Chilli, Jezebel, Mommyish, New York Daily News
Zack Polanski: the 'eco-populist' running for Green Party leader
Do smartphone bans in schools work?
Doom: The Dark Ages – an 'exhilarating' prequel
