Advancing a critical postmodern approach to stigma management communication (SMC) theory in the context of difficulty orgasming

ABSTRACT

Addressing calls for increased communication scholarship that interrogates power in stigma processes, we develop a critical postmodern approach to stigma management communication (SMC) theory and demonstrate how it can be used in the context of difficulty orgasming. Semi-structured interviews with mostly white, cisgender women experiencing orgasm difficulties in mixed-sex relationships (N = 31) revealed how dominant discourse creates an idealized standard of sexual behavior that stigmatizes women with orgasm difficulties, and how stigma management strategies act as discursive practices that reify, resist, and transform the status quo. We extend SMC theory by articulating a critical postmodern approach that can be used to interrogate power in stigma processes, and by illuminating how stigma management strategies are enacted in varied ways and toward different ends. Practically, our findings underscore the need for multifaceted interventions aimed at addressing the underlying causes of stigma and offer recommendations for reducing stigma through health campaigns, programming, and care.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical postmodernism
• stigma management communication theory
• health communication
• sexual health
• anorgasmia

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Pamara F. Chang (Assistant Professor, University of Houston), Dr. Tony Liao (Assistant Professor, University of Houston) and Dr. John A. Lynch (Professor, University of Cincinnati) for their assistance with the thesis on which this project is based. We would also like to thank the participants for sharing their experiences, as well as the reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions, which strengthened this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Although the New View Campaign (Tiefer, 2010) offers one promising avenue through which health professionals can address the stigmatization of difficulty orgasming and other sexual health experiences, it is based on work that has been critiqued for not being representative of nor focused on the issues faced by diverse groups, and for its lack of consideration of the role of race/ethnicity, class, ability, and sexual orientation (etc.) on sexuality (McCormick, 1995). Given the role of these factors in shaping dominant conceptions of sex(ual pleasure; Cerankowski, 2021), we encourage health professionals to carefully consider how this model might be modified or expanded to address the unique and complex needs faced by individuals depending on (the intersection of) various aspects of their identity.

Additional information

Funding

Protected research time for Rachel V. Tucker was funded by the Wood/Raith Gender Identity Living Trust at the University of Connecticut.