Abstract
A Foucauldian feminist theoretical perspective was selected to examine female flashing behavior and male audience response within the microenvironment of a college homecoming celebration. Data were collected using ethnographic fieldwork techniques in the midst of sometimes near-riot conditions in a blocked-off street in the bar district adjoining the campus. Additional qualitative research methods included participant observation, interviews with male and female participants and observers, analysis of police videotapes, and interviews with police officers. Interpretive results supported the expanding of Kennedy's definition of provocative dress to include body-revealing behaviors when practiced within social contexts. Analysis further indicated that flashing within this microenvironment served to reinforce patterns of hegemonic male sexuality focused on sexual objectification of women rather than serving to challenge male-centered sexuality through an expression of female sexual agency.
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