Chanel Contos on 'Consent Laid Bare'

CW: Discussion of sexual assault

It's been described as the game-changing book about sex and consent that every woman - and man - should read.

In 2021, Chanel Contos posted on Instagram asking people to share their stories of sexual assault during their schooling years. This post unexpectedly went viral, and almost 7000 people sent in testimonies describing behaviour that constitutes rape. Virtually none of these instances were reported, and almost all of them were by people they knew.

How and why is this happening in an era of growing equality? In her new book, Chanel argues that when it comes to sex, we are still working with an outdated social contract that privileges men's pleasure at the expense of women's humanity.

In this important episode if Booksmart, Hannah Diviney sat down with Chanel to discuss her journey and what it was like writing and publishing Consent Laid Bare.