DIGITAL HARASSMENT AND CONSUMPTION TABOOS:THE CASE OF FAKE ORDERS IN LINGERIE STARTUPS

Abstract

The expansion of digital commerce has created new entrepreneurial opportunities, particularly for niche and intimate product markets such as lingerie. However, alongside increased accessibility, digital platforms have facilitated novel forms of harassment and transactional abuse. This study investigates the phenomenon of fake orders within a digital-first lingerie startup and examines how such behavior intersects with consumption taboos and gendered digital harassment. Using a convergent mixed-method design, the research analyzed 1,400 transactional inquiries over a six-month period and conducted thematic analysis of communication transcripts and founder interviews Findings indicate that 6.93% of orders were classified as fake or malicious, while 78.14% resulted in confirmed transactions. Statistical analysis revealed significant associations between cash-on-delivery payment methods, high-intimacy product categories, and increased likelihood of fake ordering behavior. Qualitative findings further demonstrate that many fake transactions were embedded within moral policing, sexualized mockery, and cultural stigma narratives. The study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing fake orders not merely as financial fraud but as a hybrid form of gendered digital harassment situated within taboo consumption markets. The findings underscore the need for platform-level safeguards and policy frameworks that recognize transactional harassment as a distinct form of digital harm affecting small, women-led enterprises.