Consent Laid Bare: Sex, entitlement and the distortion of desire

A battle cry from a generation no longer willing to stay silent, this book is a must for women, and men, navigating desire in the age of entitlement.

You are a fourteen-year-old girl at a party. You are drunk. All your friends are drunk. A boy is pressuring you to have sex. You don’t really want to, but you don’t know how to say no. You really want him to like you. So you say yes, at least you think you say yes. You can’t remember. What you do remember is the shame that follows.

This scenario plays out across Australia, every weekend. We know, because in 2021, Chanel Contos invited girls and women to provide testimonials of their most negative sexual experiences. The nearly 7000 responses described behaviour that is, at best, chronically anti-social and, at worst, constitutes rape. Virtually none of these instances has been reported, let alone prosecuted, but as a result of Chanel’s advocacy single-sex schools are going co-ed, laws have changed across Australia, schools have amped up their sex ed and politicians have been forced to act.

Knowledge is power. Consent Laid Bare is a conversation starter that will help young women feel less alone, less likely to feel pressured into sexual encounters that they don’t want, less ashamed if they find themselves in a tricky situation, and more inclined to hold their perpetrators to account in the moment and afterwards. It will help young men understand that there is a point where pressuring behaviour becomes criminal. It is the book we wish wasn’t necessary, but that we know is absolutely crucial reading.

‘Chanel’s purpose is singular: to end rape culture. In this overdue and urgent book, Chanel (rightly! perfectly!) asserts that intimacy grounded in empathy and ethics is the answer. Essential reading for teens.’ ZOË FOSTER BLAKE

‘I am in awe of Chanel. This book has the power to change the world. An absolute must-read for every young man.’ HUGH VAN CUYLENBURG, author of The Resilience Project and co-creator of The Imperfects podcast

‘Chanel Contos is a voice for her generation – and she is sounding the alarm on a rape culture that has become more entrenched and severe in her lifetime.’ JESS HILL, author of See What You Made Me Do

‘This is a message about rape culture that the world needs to hear. Contos is one of the most powerful voices of Australia’s younger generation – this book shows why.’ YASMIN POOLE, youth advocate and public speaker

‘Sexual violence is preventable, and Consent Laid Bare shows us how. Cultural change will come from education and the conversations this book will inspire. A must-read.’ SENATOR LARISSA WATERS, The Greens

‘Raw and incisive, Chanel Contos tells it like it is. This is the story of thousands of young people, victims, survivors
and perpetrators, told with empathy, intelligence and courage.’ DR MELISSA KANG, co-author of Welcome to Sex and Welcome to Consent

‘While I would hate anything awful to happen to my granddaughter, my greatest fear is that my open-hearted grandsons will grow up in a society that does everything it can to make them the worst versions of themselves. That’s why this clear and concise book about consent is so important. Not just for your daughter’s future, but for your son’s.’ JANE CARO, author, columnist and social commentator

‘Consent Laid Bare is a heartfelt call for social change, begging us to consider how a lack of consent education has failed young people for generations, and teaching us how to change that.’ GRACE FORREST, activist

‘If there was a weapon of mass destruction for rape culture, it would be this book.’ HOLLY RANKIN (aka JACK RIVER), musician

Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Imprint: Macmillan Aust
Publication date: 12/09/2023