Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk About Sexuality (31 page)

entitlement within, 46, 120–128,

156–157, 163; silent body and,

60–61; egalitarian, 102, 124, 178;

safe space in, 102, 122, 178–179;

geographic context, 174, 178–179,

181.
See also
Peer relationships Religion, 84–85, 94

Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing, 3

Reputation, 7–8, 11–13, 22, 195–196;

peer judgment and, 7, 31–33, 45,

66, 98–99, 123, 129, 195–196;

sexual health and, 12–13; participation in study and, 30–33; fears for, 46, 91, 98–100, 137–138;

silent body and, 61, 63, 79; boys’

talk and, 90, 91, 99; lack of

concern about, 155, 157–158, 161,

164–165; geographic context, 175, 177–178.
See also
Double standard; Good girl/bad girl dichotomy; Social consequences of desire

Research, 9–10, 25, 43, 81, 217n2;

surveillance of girls’ behavior, 9–10, 12, 26–27, 32; feminist,

25–26, 38–39, 48, 53.
See also

Methodology

Resistance to desire, 42–43, 48;

disappearing desire, 82–100;

forgetting, 83–84, 87; religious

promises, 84–85; responsibility

for sexuality and, 85–87, 99, 104,

110–111, 115; distancing, 88–94; control of self, 94–100; ambivalence, 100–115; sexual

minority girls, 112–114

Respect, 99, 175–176

Response voice, 210, 211, 213–214 Responsibility for sexuality, 63–64,

201; boys’ lack of, 15–16; sexual abuse and, 75–76; resistance to desire and, 85–87, 99, 104,

110–111, 115

Rich, Adrienne, 16–17, 211

Riot grrls, 187

Rochelle, 29, 42, 88–94, 116, 174,

175, 206

Romance narrative, 81–82, 89–90,

133; geographic context, 175,

179–180

Romance novels, 155–156

Rubin, Gayle, 50–51

Ruddick, Sara, 198

Ruination, narratives of, 175, 181

Safe space, 33, 37, 77; for urban girls,

31–32, 174; interview as, 66–67;

relationships as, 102, 122, 178–179;

entitlement and, 120–121,

135–140; limitations on, 127–128;

underground space, 134–135;

consciousness-raising groups, 190–191; girls speaking with adult women, 191–195; alter- native discourse, 192–193; positive experiences, 193–194; girls speak- ing with other girls, 195–197

Satcher, David, 3

Self-consciousness, 103–104

Self-respect, 175–176

Self stories, 209–210

Sex education, 18, 202–203

Sexual abuse, 28–30, 36, 136, 157,

220nn1,7; rape, 11, 53, 65,

75–76; disembodiment and,

51–52; silent body and, 52, 65; threat of, 52–53; confused body and, 66–71; as women’s responsibility, 75–76; entitle- ment as resistance to, 142–143; geographic context, 182–184.

See also
Victimization; Violence

Sexual development, 80–81, 166; social context, 2–3; double standard, 4–16; hormones,

13–15, 217n2, 218n5

Sexual dysfunction, 227–228n1 Sexual harassment, 9, 11

Sexual health, 3–4, 12–13, 19–22

Sexual intercourse, 9–11, 109, 181; “it just happened” stories, 1–2, 21–22, 60–64, 67, 89–90, 95, 204;

first experiences, 1–2, 21–22,

62–64, 125–126, 191; focus on,

22–23; decision to delay, 129–130, 163–164.
See also
Sexuality, adolescent

Sexuality, adolescent: negative views of, 3–4, 7, 162; statistics, 8, 27, 217n1; female, as problem, 9–10, 18–19; as personal phenomenon, 18–19, 38; girls’ responsibility for,

63–64, 75–76, 99, 104, 110–111,

115, 201; dislike of sex, 88–89, 93,

96; political nature of, 118–119, 151, 222–223n2.
See also
Desire; Sexual intercourse

Sexually transmitted diseases, 10, 90–91, 176

Sexual minority girls, 17, 46, 196;

lesbian identity, 17, 113, 145–150;

bisexuality, 108, 112–114;

geographic context, 184–185

Sexual objectification, 6–8, 60–61,

73, 82, 91–92, 159; as source of

vulnerability, 99–100

Sexual revolution of 1960s–1970s, 201, 223nn2,3

Sexual subjectivity, 5–6, 19–20, 90,

122, 142, 225n4; feelings of power,

131–132, 159–160

Silent body, 22, 47, 55–65, 177, 186;

sexual violence and, 52, 65; curiosity and, 57–60; peer relationships and, 58–59; in relationship, 60–61; “it just happened” stories and, 60–64

Social consequences of desire, 9, 44–45, 91–92, 101–102, 110;

sexually transmitted diseases, 10, 90–91, 176; alcohol, 138–140;

resistance to, 155, 157–158.
See

also
Pregnancy, adolescent; Reputation

Social construction of desire, 13–15, 24, 38, 50–51, 199.
See also
Heter- osexuality, institution of

Social context of desire, 2–3, 37–38

Social control, 8–9, 16–19, 108; as protection from male aggression, 15, 17; femininity and, 53–55; control of self, 94–100.
See also
Responsibility for sexuality

Socialization, 16–17

Sophie, 29, 45, 128–134, 163–164,

177, 178, 183, 196

Speaking about desire: with adult women, 191–195; alternative

discourses, 192–193, 201–206; with other girls, 195–197; challenging status quo, 197–201

Spillers, Hortense, 225n4 Spur Posse, 15, 79

Stereotypes: in research, 26–27; of African American girls, 166–167, 170, 224–225n4; urban girls, 166–167, 169–171, 186; historical

context, 169, 171; Perfect Girl,

170–171, 179, 186

Suburban girls, 176–180, 219–220n6; disembodiment and, 170–171, 179; Perfect Girl stereotype, 170–171, 179, 186; mixed

messages from society, 177–178; relationships and, 178–179; romance narratives and, 179–180

Szalacha, Laura, 181, 182

Telling Sexual Stories
(Plummer), 198

Thompson, Sharon, 191, 204

Token resistance, 220n8

Towards a New Psychology of Women

(Miller), 20

Transgressive identity, 161–162

Trisha, 29, 33, 135–140, 164, 174, 206

Underground, 134–135

Urban girls, 31–32, 35, 226n9;

stereotypes of, 166–167, 169–171, 186; personal dilemma of desire, 173, 176, 189–190; self-

protection, 173–176; narratives of ruination, 175, 181

“Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” (Lorde), 41

Vagueness, 67–69

Vance, Carole, 118

Victimization, 2, 26; males as sexual

predators, 4–5, 104–105; research,

9–10; reputation and, 11–13; sexual expression viewed as, 14–16.
See also
Sexual abuse; Violence

Violence, 11, 13, 92, 146, 177, 201,

217n3, 226–227n12; dissociation and, 51–52; fears of, 52–53, 221n3; eroticization of, 133, 221n2; geographic context, 174, 177, 180; sexual minority girls

and, 184–185.
See also
Sexual abuse; Victimization

Virginity, 94–95, 154

Voice-based analysis, 39, 209

Voices, 39, 211–214; erotic voice,

41–43, 55, 187–188, 210–213;

passive, 67; relational, 210;

response voice, 210, 211, 213–214; of body, 210–211; desire voices, 210–211; coding, 211–214

Vulnerability: self–knowledge and, 21–22, 64–65, 78, 129, 135; desire

as source of, 85–88, 90–92, 95–96; sexual objectification as source of, 99–100; geographical context, 181–182.
See also
Reputation

Walker, Alice, 50

Walker, Rebecca, 198–199, 201–202

Ward, Janie, 191

Way, Niobe, 175–176

Web sites, 7, 11, 203–204

Wilson, Marie, 21

Wolf, Naomi, 8

Young, Leslie, 51–52

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 11

Zines, 118, 187, 222n1

Zoe, 29, 45