Abstract:
Heteronormative femininity is a heterosexualised version of femininity that women can perform. As the most dominant and normalised form of femininity in society, women face negative repercussion in their lives if they cannot perform within this paradigm of femininity. This thesis uses feminist geography and feminist political geography as a theoretical lens to investigate how heteronormative femininity is reproduced through the body. This thesis aims to understand the different spaces and scales that shape heteronormative femininity, unpack the discourses that influence the (re)production of heteronormative femininity, and consider women's potential agency in resisting the reproduction of heteronormative femininity through their body. Building on feminist scholarship that examines the body in relation to larger social and political structures, this thesis is concerned with how vulval pain conditions reproduce heteronormative femininity. In order to better include women's voices often left out of research, this thesis employed a feminist qualitative methodology when exploring the case study: an online, public forum where women discuss their concerns about vulval pain conditions. I employed thematic analysis to examine posts made by 15 anonymous contributors to the forum. From this analysis, four key themes arose: the social construction of feminine bodies in the everyday context, the reproduction of heteronormative femininity by the medical field, the impact of relationalities on the reproduction of heteronormative femininity, and the potential for bodies to resist heteronormative feminine expectations. I used discourse analysis methodologies to further untangle the connections between these themes and the ways heteronormative femininity is reproduced through these women's bodies. Ultimately, this research argues that heteronormative femininity, whilst seemingly abstract, is deeply immersed in various aspects of society, and has notable effects on a woman's wellbeing.