Breaking up and hooking up: A young woman’s experience of “sexual empowerment”

Abstract

With the rise of neoliberalism, postfeminism and “hookup culture,” young women face both challenges and opportunities when constructing themselves as sexual subjects. This paper explores the experiences of a young woman who sought to have sex with someone new in order to move on from the breakup of a long-term relationship. This case study is part of a larger project which explored how young people (aged 18–25) negotiate their love/sex relationships within the context of new media environments. While this young woman described her experience of having sex with someone new as “empowering,” within a neoliberal, postfeminist context the concept of empowerment may not be a useful theoretical tool for understanding young women’s sexuality. Situating her story within its broader sociocultural context, this paper explores how structural factors shape this young woman’s ability to navigate normative discourses about sexual empowerment and construct herself as a sexual subject.