Fifty Shades of Leather and Misogyny: An Investigation of Anti-Woman Perspectives among Leathermen

ABSTRACT

The Fifty Shades books and films shed light on a sexual and leather-clad subculture predominantly kept in the dark: bondage, discipline, submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM). Such new interest in this community also generated widespread misconceptions about the sexual practices that take place in these circles, especially in regard to the treatment of women. In the current study, we investigate how a BDSM or “leather” identity is related to attitudes toward women. We use a nationally representative sample of U.S. adult men aged 18–64 stratified by U.S. Census categories of age, race/ethnicity, and census region (N = 1474) and a subsample of leathermen (n = 65; 58% hetero-leather identified and 42% non-hetero-leather identified). Specifically, we explore leather identity as it relates to the support of laws/policies helping women, non-feminist identity, patriarchal gender norms, and the stigmatization of lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LBTQ) women among both hetero and non-hetero leathermen. Overall, our findings indicate a robust relationship between these anti-woman perspectives and leatherman identity that is especially pronounced among hetero leathermen and demonstrate the importance of continuing to consider how leather identity shapes misogyny among leathermen.

Notes

¹ Because some people use “dyke” to self-identify, “dyke” may not always be a hostile slur (Califia and Sweeney 2000; Hale 1997).

² This includes four trans men.

Additional information

Funding

The data collection utilized in this project was funded by the University of Oklahoma Office of the Vice President for Research via the Faculty Investment Program.

Notes on contributors

Meredith G. F. Worthen

Meredith G. F. Worthen is a professor of sociology at the University of Oklahoma. Her interests are in the sociological constructions of deviance and stigma, gender, sexuality, and LGBTQ identities, as well as feminist and queer criminology.

Trenton M. Haltom

Trenton M. Haltom (@TMHaltom) is a PhD Candidate in Sociology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His research focuses on men’s “crises” of gender and sexuality across media, occupations, health, or sports. His dissertation is a mixed-methods content analysis of representations of men’s bodies in popular U.S. magazines over time. His research has been published in Gender & Society, Sociology of Sport Journal, and in edited volumes.