The discovery of a rape epidemic

To send or not to send nudes: New Zealand girls critically discuss the contradictory gendered pressures of teenage sexting

“…While speaking about sending nudes, and heterosexual intimacy more generally, Angela suggested that "[Girls] think about the guy's, the guy's needs before they think about their [own] feelings" (G1-W1). This narrative, which juxtaposes a "guy's needs" with a girl's "feelings", also maps onto a second dominant discourse of heterosexuality: the have-hold discourse (Hollway, 1989; see also Gavey, 2019). Operating alongside the male sexual drive discourse, the have-hold discourse positions women as responsive and compliant with male sexual advances in order to secure or retain a relationship with a man (Gavey, 2019).…”

“…This narrative, which juxtaposes a "guy's needs" with a girl's "feelings", also maps onto a second dominant discourse of heterosexuality: the have-hold discourse (Hollway, 1989; see also Gavey, 2019). Operating alongside the male sexual drive discourse, the have-hold discourse positions women as responsive and compliant with male sexual advances in order to secure or retain a relationship with a man (Gavey, 2019). The girls' accounts highlight the pressures and coercive nature of this dynamic, where sending nude images may be seen as a requirement instead of an option within heterosexual romantic relationships.…”

“…Each of the seven groups participated in a series of three workshop interviews that were led by one facilitator from the research team (XX, YY and ZZ, who were all first year postgraduate students, and AA). In the first workshop session we focused on the broader social context, such as how girls talk with guys, and gendered stereotypes, introducing ideas from broad feminist sociocultural analyses, such as Hollway's (1989) dominant discourses of heterosexuality (see also Gavey, 2019), the sexual double standard, and so on. Towards the end of the first workshop we introduced the topic of sending nudes more specifically, and followed this up in the second workshop.…”

“…Girls also suggested "at a certain age [guys] always like I don't know I think it's from like 14 to like 16-17 they're always into like (Madison: porn) (all laugh) and sex like driven stuff" (Bianca, G2-W1). Whether the girls bought into the biological explanation or not, these accounts map closely onto one of the dominant discourses of heterosexuality: the male sexual drive discourse (Hollway, 1989; see also Gavey, 2019). Within the terms of the male sexual drive discourse, men are assumed to have an inherent and overwhelming need for sex.…”

“…For example, "look, you're a really nice guy and I do like you, but…" (p. 305). Stereotypical traditional ideals of femininity (such as gentleness, submissiveness, or responsiveness) may shape heterosexual interactions in ways that make assertive refusals difficult for women to enact (Gavey, 2019;Gavey & McPhillips, 1999;Murnen, Perot, & Byrne, 1989). Therefore, girls may also be required to undertake a considerable amount of emotional and communicative work to carefully execute a refusal that does not breach social etiquette and norms of femininity.…”