Grinding On the Dance Floor

Abstract

In this article, the author explores the gendered dynamics of “grinding,” sexualized dancing common at college parties. Drawing on the observations of student participant observers, the author describes the common script for initiating this behavior. At these parties, men initiated more often and more directly than women, whose behaviors were shaped by a sexual double standard and (hetero-) relational imperative. The heterosexual grinding script enacts a gendered dynamic that reproduces systematic gender inequality by limiting women’s access to sexual agency and pleasure, privileging men’s pleasure and confirming their higher status.

“Me Getting Plastered and Her Provoking My Eyes”

“…The different roles men and women are expected to play in the context of the bar scene influenced how young people placed blame on offenders and victims. The routinization of romantic/sexual scripts in bars, where men are expected to pursue women, women are expected to be gatekeepers, and men’s aggressive tactics are largely normalized (Armstrong et al, 2006; Ronen, 2010), affects respondents’ beliefs about who is to blame for the sexual misconduct that takes place there.…”

“…While rape and sexual harassment are taken quite seriously by the legal system, sexual aggression in public drinking settings—especially non-consensual groping, kissing, and touching—is ubiquitous and largely unregulated (Armstrong, Hamilton, & Sweeney, 2006; Graham, Wells, Bernards, & Dennison, 2010; Ronen, 2010). Most men and women who patronize nightclubs or bars have witnessed or directly experienced sexual aggression (Graham et al, 2010; Kavanaugh, 2013; Parks & Miller, 1997).…”

“…Most men and women who patronize nightclubs or bars have witnessed or directly experienced sexual aggression (Graham et al, 2010; Kavanaugh, 2013; Parks & Miller, 1997). In fact, the overwhelming majority of college-age men report using sexually aggressive tactics to “get women” at bars and parties (Thompson & Cracco, 2008), grabbing a woman from behind is a common and normalized form of aggression on the dance floor (Ronen, 2010), and many people perceive aggression by men to be an inevitable (albeit unpleasant) part of socializing in bars and clubs (Armstrong et al, 2006; Kavanaugh, 2013).…”

Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies: An Exploration of Sugar Dating on Canadian Campuses

“…One study conducted by Lavoie, Thibodeau, Gagne and Hebert (2010) found that of 815 secondary students in the province of Quebec, 4% bought and 3% sold sex, with a higher number of females selling, and more males buying sex. Given the sexual nature of university campuses (Bradshaw, Kahn & Saville, 2010;Heldman & Wade, 2010;Ronen, 2010;Snapp, Lento, Ryu & Rosen, 2013), one can anticipate that the percentages of university students buying and selling sex will be the same, or potentially higher. Building on this previous study, Sinacore, Jaghori & Rezazadeh (2015) examined the narratives of four female Canadian university students working in the sex trade (two erotic massagers and private escorts, one stripper and webcam performer and one lap dancer).…”

Reading identity: American and Irish Women’s book clubs, culture, and identity

“…This is most certainly a gendered phenomenon. Women learn from a very early age that dependence on others, particularly men, for financial, emotional, and sexual support is expected as part of femininity, often linked to cultural expectations that women be shy or timid (Ashmore et al., 1986; Attwood, 2006; Beres and Farvid, 2010; Bettie, 2003; Hamilton and Armstrong, 2009; Ronen, 2010). Cultural messages of submissive femininity reinforce patriarchal and sexist ideals while normalizing traditional gender roles that encourage women to be timid, meek, and dependent.…”