Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Graham, Steven

Keywords

Gender, Sex Work, Performance, Femininity

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

Prior research on emotional labor and constructions of normatively feminine work identities in the service industry exists, but is limited, especially in terms of a focus on sex work. This study explores emotional labor and performances of femininity by webcam models. Surveys were administered to 43 woman-read1 webcam models. The results indicate that webcam models whose performance is influenced by what they think is desired by clientele are likely to perform emphasized femininity at work, controlling for femininity outside of work. This indicates that many models construct their performance based on their generalized knowledge of cisgender male heterosexual desire, given that this demographic constitutes the majority of models' audiences. Performances of emphasized femininity can be used to increase monetary gain. Webcam models employ emotional labor frequently to emphasize positively valenced emotions and deemphasize negatively valenced emotions, and engage in patterns of emotion management consistent with emphasized femininity. While some models are utilizing emphasized femininity in ways that benefit them, they are simultaneously practicing oppositional femininity both implicitly and explicitly. These findings have implications both for the experiences and well-being of webcam models, and for psychological and sociological theories concerning self-presentation and performances of femininity.

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