SEX AND SOCIAL CLASS OF A YOUNG FEMALE
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‘You can spot them a mile off’ – Young women’s negotiations of class and the sexual culture of shame
Williams, Helen (2021) ‘You can spot them a mile off’ – Young women’s negotiations of class and the sexual culture of shame. Sexuality and Culture. ISSN 1095-5143
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|
Abstract
In contemporary Western society, young women are caught between the competing discourses of the slut/virgin dichotomy and the more recent imperatives of a sexualised culture. Drawing on data from qualitative interviews with young people, I identify a relationship between social class and susceptibility to sexual stigma. The practice of slut-shaming works locally to bolster the social capital of some girls at the expense of others, often those of perceived lower status. I find that middle class women are afforded sexual liberty, particularly if they display agentic practice. In contrast, working class women occupy more precarious positions of sexual respectability which depend on narratives of relationships and love to ameliorate the potential for slut-shaming.
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More Information
| Depositing User: Helen Williams |
Identifiers
| Item ID: 13298 |
| Identification Number: 10.1007/s12119-021-09824-x |
| ISSN: 1095-5143 |
| URI: https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/13298 |
| Official URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12119-0… |
Users with ORCIDS
ORCID for Helen Williams: orcid.org/0000-0003-4980-0853
Catalogue record
| Date Deposited: 22 Mar 2021 09:11 |
| Last Modified: 03 Jun 2025 15:40 |
Contributors
| Author: | Helen Williams |
University Divisions
Faculty of Education, Society and Creative Industries > School of Social Sciences and Law
Subjects
Social Sciences > Sociology
Social Sciences > Working with Young People
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