Some guys do, but that\u27s not me. Language use and the rejection of hegemonic masculinity.

Young men experience daily struggles to live up to an American ideal of masculinity that does not leave room for emotion, tenderness, and respect for their sexual partners – and they are beginning to reject this ideal outright. In this study I give young men the space and freedom to talk openly about sex in general and their sexual experiences in particular, with the goal of ascertaining how their talk illustrates and impacts their performance of masculinity. I employed a qualitative approach, including focus groups consisting of college men of all sexual orientations, and a comprehensive survey regarding their sexual experience. The focus groups were shaped by three primary questions: to whom do you talk about sex, what do you talk about when you talk about sex, and how do you talk about sex? I analyzed transcripts from the focus groups using sociolinguistics and narrative theory, and found that the participants feel restricted by hegemonic masculinity and constrained by societal expectations for their sexual behavior. The young men in this study express their frustration via their language, both with the words they use and those words they choose not to use. Of special importance in this study is a focus on men of color, and how their experience and their language are shaped by their exclusion from hegemonic masculinity. A deeper understanding of the ways in which young men talk about sex and thus how they perform masculinity within sexuality will allow us to have a better picture of the role of language and communication in their experiences as sexual beings. With an increased understanding of the experience of young men, we might be able to help young men to feel more open about expressing themselves, to lead healthier sex lives, and to reduce rates of non-consensual sexual activity

Conflicts and compromises college women talk about sex and sexuality

In this thesis I examine the messages college women have received about sex and sexuality, and how the young women choose to act on those messages. The women in this study have been raised receiving messages regarding sexuality from their parents, their religions, their female and male friends, the media, and sexual education. When they reach college, certain sexual norms change, and it becomes more permissible for women to be more sexually open. This change in sexual norms creates a unique point in the sexual timeline of young women. In this thesis I examine interviews done with twenty-one college women to better understand how they deal with conflicting messages regarding sexuality. Their use of language and narrative are explored along with their techniques for reaching personal compromises in the face of multiple and conflicting messages

“Conflicts and Compromises: College Women Talk About Sex and Sexuality. ” I have

examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommen