As the Body Unfolds: Examining Girls‟ Changing Experiences with the Socially Constructed Labels „Tomboy‟ and „Girly Girl‟ by Robyn Barbara Legge A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Robyn Barbara Legge 2011 AS THE BODY UNFOLDS: EXAMINING GIRLS’ CHANGING EXPERIENCES WITH THE SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED LABELS ‘TOMBOY’ AND ‘GIRLY GIRL’ Doctor of Philosophy 2011 Robyn Barbara Legge Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology University of Toronto Abstract This study explored the lived experiences of girls with the socially constructed labels „tomboy‟ and „girly girl‟. Using a prospective, life history, qualitative methodology, girls between the ages of nine to fourteen years old were interviewed up to four times over five years for an extensive embodiment project. The present study investigated girls‟ narratives of the „tomboy‟/ „girly girl‟ dichotomy to deepen an understanding of how gender discourses affect how girls learn to live in their bodies. A total of 87 interviews were collected from 27 girls representing diverse social and cultural backgrounds as well as different urban and rural Canadian locations. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for themes using the constant comparison method from Grounded Theory. Examining the data from a feminist poststructuralist theoretical approach, three main dimensions emerged that described these girls‟ experiences of living with these labels from childhood through adolescence. The first dimension described the shared cultural stereotypes of the „tomboy‟ and „girly girl‟ labels. The second dimension delineated the social outcomes in terms of the privileges and consequences associated with each label in childhood and in adolescence. The third dimension highlighted girls own negotiated self experiences and identities in relation to this gender dichotomy. Through its prospective design, this research uniquely delineated the complex range of experiences girls have within gender discourses and explored how labels work to control and restrict girls‟ freedom to stay connected to their self and body. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My journey through graduate school has been filled with interesting and challenging experiences that have helped me grow as a researcher, as a clinician and as a woman. I have so thoroughly enjoyed the topic of my doctoral dissertation and have many people to thank and extend my appreciation to for their kindness, support, encouragement, and guidance. As noted in my dedication, I am so very thankful to the twenty-seven bright young women who courageously participated in this research project. Thank you for sharing your time over five years to help us further understand the dilemmas that girls today face. To each of the girls that I personally interviewed, I learned something from each and every one of you at every meeting. Your willingness to explore complex questions about the body, to share your own struggles and triumphs, and to offer your thoughts and emotional experience in your own body journey was inspiring. To the entire team of fellow graduate students who have worked on this embodiment project over the last eight years, thank you for the many discussions throughout the stages of this project that have helped deepen my understanding of qualitative research and feminist analysis. Thank you for your friendship, mentorship, support, and guidance throughout all the stages of my dissertation project. I am extremely grateful to my family and my friends who have supported, encouraged, and motivated me throughout my years in the doctoral program. The support of family and friends was immeasurable in helping me get through to the end. Throughout my rather nomadic journey through this doctoral degree, this dissertation project and I have enjoyed the comforts and caretaking of many different homes in, not just different cities, but different countries as well. Thank you to the friends who have provided couches and spare rooms for weekend (or longer) stays during periods of transition. Thank you to my families in Winnipeg and Iquitos iii for the much longer stays while I worked away on this project. Thank you for tolerating my frustrations during times of great stress, for encouraging me to keep at it when I was feeling overwhelmed, for reminding me to have fun along the way, and for loving me unconditionally. In particular, thank you to my parents for all your love and support throughout my life, for encouraging, supporting and guiding me to believe I am worthy and able to achieve and to succeed throughout my life journey. To my partner Pedro, thank you for supporting me to finish this doctoral degree, despite the distance we have had to maintain in order for that to happen. Your love, encouragement and comfort have helped me more than I can express. I want to thank my committee members, Dr. Karin Jasper and Dr. Brenda Toner. It is such an honour and privilege to have such strong, intelligent, feminist clinicians and researchers on my committee. Your feedback, guidance, and support is most valued and appreciated. To my supervisor, Dr. Niva Piran, I am overwhelmed with emotion as I say thank you for all that you have given me over these last eight years in graduate school. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your understanding and compassion throughout my journey, with all its ups and downs; for your support and flexibility with my unorthodox choices; for your interest in knowing me and seeing me for all that I am; for your encouragement of my academic skills; and for your guidance and mentorship that have helped shape me into the feminist woman I am today. You have inspired so many young women in your role as a professor and researcher and I am thankful and appreciative to be one of them. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………..... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………… iii LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………… ix LIST OF APPENDICES………………………………………………………………….. x DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………. xi INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………… 1 Chapter One Theoretical Framework……………………………………………………………………. 5 Post-structuralism…………………………………………………………………. 5 Feminist Post-structuralism………………………………………………………... 8 Literature Review Discourses of Gender……………………………………………………………… 12 Labels of femininity……………………………………………………….. 23 Tomboy……………………………………………………………. 27 Girly Girl…………………………………………………………... 40 Rationale for the Current Study…………………………………………………………… 50 Chapter Two Methodology Qualitative research………………………………………………………………... 53 Subjectivity of the researcher……………………………………………………… 54 Participants………………………………………………………………………… 54 Procedure………………………………………………………………………….. 54 The interview……………………………………………………………………… 55 Data analysis………………………………………………………………………. 56 Chapter Three Cultural Stereotypes: The „tomboy‟ and „girly girl‟ labels……………………………….. 59 Childhood…………………………………………………………………………. 59 The „tomboy‟ label………………………………………………………… 59 Aspects of appearance……………………………………………... 59 Clothing……………………………………………………. 59 Hair………………………………………………………… 60 Activities and interests…………………………………………….. 61 Sports……………………………………………………… 61 Being physically active……………………………………. 62 Being outdoors…………………………………………….. 63 Social Behaviours…………………………………………………. 64 Interpersonal Style…………………………………………. 64 Social Preferences…………………………………………. 65 The „girly girl‟ label……………………………………………………….. 66 Aspects of appearance………………………………………………66 v Clothing……………………………………………………. 66 Hair………………………………………………………… 67 Makeup…………………………………………………….. 68 Activities and interests…………………………………………….. 69 No sports…………………………………………………… 69 Appearance-related activities………………………………. 69 Sedentary activities………………………………………… 70 Social Behaviours…………………………………………………. 72 Interpersonal Style…………………………………………. 72 Social Preferences………………………………………….. 74 Adolescence……………………………………………………………………….. 75 The „tomboy‟ label…………………………………………………………. 76 Aspects of appearance………………………………………………76 Clothing……………………………………………………. 76 Hair………………………………………………………… 78 Activities and interests…………………………………………….. 79 Social Behaviours…………………………………………………. 80 Interpersonal Style…………………………………………. 80 Social Preferences………………………………………….. 81 The „girly girl‟ label……………………………………………………….. 82 Aspects of appearance………………………………………………82 Clothing……………………………………………………. 82 Hair………………………………………………………… 85 Makeup…………………………………………………….. 86 Activities and interests…………………………………………….. 87 No sports…………………………………………………… 87 Appearance-related activities………………………………. 88 Shopping…………………………………………………… 89 Sedentary activities………………………………………… 90 Social Behaviours………………………………………………….. 91 Interpersonal Style…………………………………………. 91 Social Preferences………………………………………….. 93 Summary of Shared Cultural Stereotypes in Childhood and Adolescence………………… 93 Summary Chart of „Tomboy‟ and „Girly Girl‟ Labels in Childhood and Adolescence…… 96 Chapter Four Social Outcomes: Privileges and Consequences of the „Tomboy‟ and „Girly Girl‟ Labels 97 Childhood………………………………………………………………………….. 97 Privileges associated with each label………………………………………. 97 Privileges of being a „tomboy……………………………………… 97 Strong connection to self………………………………….. 98 Comfortable in one‟s body………………………………… 98 Physical freedom to be passionate about activity and sport...101 Privileges of being a „girly girl‟…………………………………… 102 Male romantic attention…………………………………… 102 Social currency…………………………………………….. 103 Consequences associated with