Bold resistance: Developing tenets of femme analysis for an era of popular feminism

Sexualities, Ahead of Print.
Feminist analyses of postfeminism too often abject femininity, rendering spectacular femininity as a masquerade that endears women to heterosexual men. Moving into the era of popular feminism, feminist analyses have yet to renegotiate this abjection of femininity, often eclipsing the potential for resistance in favor of highlighting the pernicious effects of capitalism. Analyzing vignettes from The Bold Type (2017–2021), this research draws on femme theory to map an analytical framework that reinterprets spectacular femininity, developing strategies for critical analyses that can recognize fem(me)inine resistance within a landscape that commodifies femininity and feminism.

Changeable sexualities and fluid masculinities: The intersections of sexual fluidity with hegemonic masculinity

Sexualities, Ahead of Print.
This article explores the concept of sexual fluidity and its applicability to men’s sexual experiences by approaching the surveillance and control of hegemonic masculinity. We carried out semi-structured interviews with 15 participants aged between 20 and 53 who state having experienced sexual fluidity. The analysis conveys how sexuality is a work in progress while highlighting the intersections of masculinities and sexualities in a heteronormative, mononormative, sexually rigid, and hegemonically masculine social context. The results indicate the potential flexibility, malleability, and changeability of all sexual identities, orientations, and experiences when disengaging from a heteronormative approach in sexual relations.