Legal Definitions - prurient

The term "prurient" describes something that appeals to an excessive, unhealthy, or morbid interest in sexual matters. In legal contexts, particularly concerning obscenity, a work or act is often deemed "prurient" if its primary appeal is to such an interest, rather than having serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

• Example 1: Online Content

  Imagine a website that exclusively features highly graphic sexual images and videos, presented without any educational, artistic, or journalistic context. The site's design and content are solely focused on explicit sexual gratification.

  This website would be considered to have a prurient appeal because its content is designed primarily to stimulate excessive sexual desire, rather than to convey information, art, or any other legitimate value. Its sole focus is on explicit sexual arousal.

• Example 2: Workplace Conduct

  Consider an employee who repeatedly sends unsolicited, sexually explicit messages and images to colleagues, not as part of any legitimate work-related communication, but seemingly to gratify or arouse an excessive sexual interest.

  The employee's actions demonstrate a prurient interest because they are engaging in communication that is excessively sexual in nature, unsolicited, and appears to be driven by an unhealthy or inordinate sexual curiosity or desire, potentially contributing to a hostile work environment.

• Example 3: Public Display

  Picture a storefront display featuring mannequins posed in overtly sexual acts, with clothing strategically removed, designed solely to attract attention through an appeal to excessive sexual curiosity rather than to showcase fashion or products in a conventional manner.

  Such a display would be deemed prurient because its primary intent is not to market products conventionally but to provoke an excessive or unhealthy sexual interest from passersby, relying on overt sexual imagery to draw attention.