"Anal is the new oral": The sexual politics of the heteronormalisation of anal sex
This thesis concerns the heteronormalisation of anal sex, focusing on dominant discourses of heterosex and the ways in which they facilitate sexual coercion. By the heteronormalisation of anal sex I mean a cultural shift towards its increased reported prevalence and visibility in popular culture. I argue that the heteronormalisation of anal sex is rooted in and shaped by a wider neoliberal context and postfeminism, with connections to digital culture, popular culture and pornography. This thesis has two main empirical sections. In the first section, I present a media analysis of depictions of heterosexual anal sex across diverse media contexts, and then a more in-depth analysis of representations in Cosmopolitan magazine. In the second section, I discuss the findings of an interview-based study of people’s experiences of unwanted and/or nonconsensual heterosexual anal sex. Eighteen women and five men participated in the study, and their interviews were analysed separately. Firstly, I analyse women’s experiences of unwanted and/or nonconsensual anal sex and show how social expectations and imperatives are interlinked with interpersonal coercion regarding anal sex. Further, I investigate the role of consent in women’s experiences of unwanted heterosexual anal sex. Lastly, I analyse men’s accounts and argue that a gender-focused analysis is necessary to capture the nuances and specificities of men’s experiences of unwanted and/or nonconsensual anal sex with women. This research shows that the re-signification of anal sex in popular culture as empowering and potentially pleasurable for women coexists with traditional gendered dynamics. Most women described interactions that were underpinned by male sexual dominance and entitlement. The expectation of women to please a male partner – even if that implies unpleasurable, undesired or painful sexual experiences – proved once again resilient to this shift in the heterosexual sexual repertoire. I argue that women’s accounts show that consent and coercion are not mutually exclusive, and that consent fails as a marker of sexual ethics. I conclude this thesis by critically reviewing its findings and reflecting on their contribution to feminist debates on gender, power and sexuality.
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