sexual identities

Question 1

what is heteronormativity

Answer 1

acceptance in a culture that heterosexual relationships are the norm and any other form of sexuality is abnormal

heteronormativity portrays heterosexuality as a superior form of sexuality

Question 2

what is a stigmatised identity

Answer 2

an individual’s concept of themselves - ‘the self’ - based on a hegemonic gender identity is likely to see gay sexuality as outside of ‘normal’

therefore deviant and stigmatised

Question 3

consequence of stigmatised identities

Answer 3

hostility in various arts of society, such as the streets, pubs, clubs, schools, mockery in the media, anti-gay jokes ect

Question 4

postmodernist view on identity

Answer 4

individual choice, freedom about sexual identity, increase in diversity is good, change in cultural attitudes, growing acceptance of all forms of sexuality

Question 5

radical feminist views on identity

Answer 5

political lesbianism, sexual separateness from men, patriarchy governs sexual identities, structural changes are needed for emancipation

Question 6

liberal feminist view

Answer 6

positive steps have taken place in lesbian identity, law changes reflect the progress being made,feminisation of the economy and education is positive, improved media representation

Question 7

what is social constructionism

Answer 7

this concept describe the formation of an identity through the culture of which a individual lives

identity is constructed by the interactions with others in that specific culture and through the agents of socialisation

explains how identities, such as sexual identities can vary from culture to culture

Question 8

sexuality is a product of biology

Answer 8

belief that we are born gay, straight or bisexual

belief that there is a ‘gay gene’

Question 9

what sociologist for social construction

Answer 9

ann cronin

Question 10

sexuality is a social construction

Answer 10

sexual preference is more about choice rather than something that is biologically determined

Question 11

what does cronin argue

Answer 11

the idea that you are born heterosexual or homosexual grew from the 17th century when the social identity of homosexuality began to emerge

Question 12

how is an individual’s social experience affected by sexuality

Answer 12

they are stigmatised by other members of society

they may be subject to discrimination or stereotypes by members of society

they may be subject to verbal or physical abuse

they have different leisure activities

gay people have a relatively low representation in the media

society makes a presumption that people are heterosexual before anything else

Question 13

what is the dominant form of sexual identity traditionally in the uk and why

Answer 13

heterosexuality - because it the links to reproduction

dominant set of values - heteronormativity

Question 14

19th c

Answer 14

homosexuality between men was illegal and punishable by imprisonment

Question 15

early 20th c

Answer 15

homosexuality was seen as abnormal sexuality - with even some seeing it as a mental illness brought about by too much mothering and the lack of a strong father figure

Question 16

1950s

Answer 16

there was still a view that homosexuality was a mental illness and that electric shock treatments was used on homosexual men to ‘cure’ them of their condition

Question 17

what did repressive controls cause

Answer 17

repressive means enforce upon - police, laws

made it difficult for gay men to ‘come out’

Question 18

late 1950s/60s

Answer 18

we start to see a cultural change in attitudes towards homosexuality

led to the decriminalisation of homosexual acts between adults over the age of 21

Question 19

1970s

Answer 19

no longer seen as a psychiatric condition and age of consent was lowered from 21 to 16 in 2001

Question 20

2005

Answer 20

the civil partnerships law was introduced allowing gay couples to formally join together and in 2014 gay marriage was legalised

Question 21

1999

Answer 21

laws governing the discrimination on the basis of sexuality were introduced - leading to the equality act in 2010

Question 22

what does taylor argue

Answer 22

female homosexuals have a much lower social profile compared to gay men and therefore the discrimination of sexuality up until the 1960s was based on gay men and did not include lesbians

Question 23

when did a gay subculture emerge and what did it do

Answer 23

1970s and it offered a positive gay identity

Question 24

what was the gay subculture’s focus

Answer 24

leisure and consumption - going to gay bars, buying cars, buying products for their appearance

Question 25

the pink pound

Answer 25

spending power of gay professionals has been targeted by gay bars, restaurants and clubs

the spending of the ‘pink pound’ and new forms of masculinity have overcome most of the stigma attached to homosexuality and also reducing the feeling of difference and opposition between gay and straight men

Question 26

reports

Answer 26

such as the stonewall report - actively campaigning for equal rights between homosexuals and heterosexuals

Question 27

demonstrations

Answer 27

gay pride, marches, petitions, demonstrations heighten awareness

these strategies, in addition to the increase in gay celebrities has made people more open towards sexual identities

Question 28

LGBT movement

Answer 28

fighting for equal rights are now taking place within these specific sexual identities

Question 29

why are gay people still prevented from living their lives free from prejudice

Answer 29

structural barriers, cultural attitudes and discrimination hasn’t disappeared completely

homophobic attacks on gay people are still prevalent in society which suggests that homosexuality is not accepted by all sections of society

Question 30

what does Dorais argue

Answer 30

many gay men had attempted suicide as they struggled with their own sexual identity in a homophobic society who judged these men as effeminate and therefore did not fit into the norms of heterosexuality

Question 31

law changes summary

Answer 31

rise of equal rights legislation such as equality act 2010, civil partnerships 2005, gay marriage 2014

Question 32

cultural expectations and cultural acceptance summary

Answer 32

since the 1960’s there has been an increasing change in the attitudes and values held regarding sexuality

gay identities have become much more accepted in modern society and this has been reinforced through the media and law changes

Question 33

rise in more choice of masculinity

Answer 33

rise in choice of masculine identities

men are increasingly more concerned with their body shape, appearance, weight, diet act

Question 34

sexualitation of mens body

Answer 34

traditionally the media’s obsession has been surrounding women’s breasts - however, recently the media has turned its attention to male boobies in the 2000’s

this began with the sun newspaper publishing their wall of shame pictures of famous men’s breasts in 2005

the key focus has been on reinforcing an ideal body image through stigmatisation of bad body shape of men

Question 35

role of media in body image portrayal

Answer 35

men’s bodies have become more sexualised with more men’s naked bodies being portrayed in the media, such as ‘Torse of the Week’ in some women’s magazines, and through perfume advertising such as Calvin Klein

this is increased in prevalence signifies the growing importance of men’s body image, rather than just women’s

Question 36

role of media - Daniel Craig

Answer 36

appearance as James Bond in Casino Royale was noted as being more naked than anyone else in the film - as one reviewed puts it - Craig’s ripped pecs being the most public symbol of British masculinity

Question 37

physical scrutiny of men

Answer 37

men are now beginning to face the same physical scrutiny as women has traditionally in the past

Question 38

what does McRobbie argue

Answer 38

“The beauty stakes have gone up for men, and women have taken up the position of active viewers”

Question 39

leisure and consumption/ pink pound

Answer 39

the gay identity has led to gay professionals spending their ‘pink pound’ and engaging in different leisure activities to heterosexual males

there is an emphasis on physical appearance and demonstrating identity through what they buy

Question 40

sexual attractiveness of female body

Answer 40

18th/19th century - paintings of women suggests that the ideal of feminine beauty was on ‘plump’ voluptuous women

1950’s - Marilyn Monroe - sex icon but still considered a full-figured women

Present day - waif-like, skinny supermodels and celebrities are idealised by the media which creates a level of expectation of women’s body shape

Question 41

differing body image portrayal in the media

Answer 41

the media criticise ‘fat’ women or overweight women and highlight this in magazines and newspapers - some feminists argue that these media representations have led to eating disorders

Question 42

what does Hunt argue

Answer 42

the media recognise society’s obsession with looking slim and perpetuate the idea of slimness = success, health, happiness and popularity - although images of the ideal male body shape are in the media - it seems to have less of an impact on men compared to women

Question 43

what does Mulvey argue

Answer 43

Male Gaze

women’s sexual identity has been surrounded by being sex objects

The male gaze is a concept which explains that women’s identity is controlled and governed by men

women’s identity is for men to gaze at them and therefore men have power and control over women’s identity as they decide what they seem as sexually attractive in a woman and therefore a woman conforms to this

this is reinforced by the media through their imagery and stories about female celebrities, top-self magazines

Question 44

double standards

Answer 44

men and women have different sexual identities - in terms of sexual morality for men and women - there are double standards

for women, their sexual identity carries risks, especially in the stigmatisation of their identity if they are seen to be too sexually active

Question 45

what does Lees argue

Answer 45

for women who are promiscuous they are labelled negatively as ‘slags’ whereas for the same act, a man is balled as a ‘stud’

this highlights the double standards and emphasis the idea of men being a hunter-gatherer and a conqueror

Question 46

cultural shift in attitudes - evaluation

Answer 46

whilst there has been a cultural shift in attitudes and acceptance of homosexuality and people having greater freedom of choice of their sexual identity, it is important to note that these changes are small and that the norms of sexual behaviour and identities are still constructed by the agents of socialisation which still regards homosexuality as deviant

Question 47

increased acceptance - evaluation

Answer 47

although there is an increased acceptance, homophobia is still prevalent in contemporary society which indicates that full acceptance has not been achieved yet

the stonewall report notes that 55% of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people experience homophobic bullying at school and hear homophobic language on a regular basis - 1 in 5 employees has experienced verbal bullying from other employees or customers based on their sexual orientation

Question 48

postmodernist evaluation

Answer 48

argue for choice, freedom and diversity, factors such as labelling, norms, values, agents of socialisation and homophobia are all preventing from this being an easy process - therefore, choice is restricted and controlled