A closet full of dresses: Intersections of femininity and sexuality among queer women in Panhellenic sororities
Anderson, Brianna Lynne
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/110506
Description
Title
A closet full of dresses: Intersections of femininity and sexuality among queer women in Panhellenic sororities
Author(s)
Anderson, Brianna Lynne
Issue Date
2021-04-20
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Bost, Kelly K
Hardesty, Jennifer L
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Bost, Kelly K
Hardesty, Jennifer L
Committee Member(s)
Oswald, Ramona F
Sharp, Elizabeth A
Department of Study
Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies
Discipline
Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
femininity
sexuality
sororities
Abstract
Despite the fact that the sorority experience has been sensationalized in the media (e.g., movies such as Legally Blonde and The House Bunny; television shows such as GRΣΣK), few academic studies have focused on gender or sexuality within the sorority context (Berbary & Johnson, 2012; Hevel & Bureau, 2014; Kahn, 2012). By exploring the experiences of queer women in Panhellenic sororities and using a grounded theory approach to understand how they negotiate expectations of femininity, the current study suggests preliminary theoretical relations in an otherwise understudied area. The findings indicate that queer women do indeed seek and enjoy their membership in Panhellenic sororities, despite overarching heteronormative expectations and homophobic microaggressions. After obtaining membership in these elitist organizations, queer women engaged in a process of staying in bounds, allowing them to maintain inclusion and good standing with their organizations, but compromising aspects of their identities.
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