Embodied Harassment

Harassment in virtual reality environments that targets a user's avatar body or physical representation, such as invading personal space, mimicking movements, or physically interacting with avatar features without consent. In the context of disability, embodied harassment includes actions like knocking over a virtual wheelchair, grabbing prosthetic limbs, or mimicking disability-related movements. This form of harassment is particularly impactful in VR because embodiment — the sense of inhabiting an avatar — makes virtual physical violations feel more personal and distressing than text-based harassment.