Lad culture as a sticky atmosphere: navigating sexism and misogyny in the UK's student-centred nighttime economy

Abstract

‘Lad culture’ has become a popular term for making sense of sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment in Higher Education in the UK. However, a gap exists in understanding student negotiations of the nighttime economy, and how spatial elements shape the affective dimensions of lad culture experiences. In this article, we offer the concept of ‘sticky atmospheres’, a combination of Sara Ahmed’s ‘sticky affects’ and Ben Anderson’s ‘affective atmospheres’. We demonstrate the usefulness of ‘sticky atmospheres’ by analysing data produced in co-operative inquiry-inspired discussions with a Student Union ‘Gender Society’. In doing so, we offer an understanding of the student-centred nighttime economy through participants’ accounts of proximity to the sticky object, described as a pervasive atmosphere. However, we also explore the potential for atmospheric change.

Keywords:

• Affect
• lad culture
• nighttime economy
• sexism

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the contributions made to this project by our participants, and to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on this paper.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Silvia Diaz-Fernandez

Silvia Diaz-Fernandez is a PhD candidate in the School of Media and Performing Arts, Coventry University, UK. Her research is concerned with mapping how affect shapes subjectivities in relation to lad culture in higher education. The research incorporates cooperative inquiry-based and participatory methodologies to explore experiences of misogyny and sexism within the University.

Adrienne Evans

Adrienne Evans is a reader in media in the Centre for Postdigital Cultures at Coventry University, UK. Past research explored sexiness; current work develops accounts of digital culture, postfeminist masculinity, and healthism. Her co-authored books include Technologies of Sexiness: Sex, Identity, and Consumer Culture (Oxford University Press, 2014) and Postfeminism and Health (Routledge, 2018).