Can i buy you a drink?: Alcohol as symbolic communication in erotic encounters

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to clarify the status of alcohol as a form of symbolic communication in the process of erotic contact seeking among members of three social categories of the urban Norwegian population. In 1995, a field observation/depth interview study on alcohol and sexuality was undertaken among patrons of three clubs designed to attract people from different social categories in Oslo. 33 persons (25–52 years) visiting the three clubs were interviewed. The informants were classified on the basis of background and lifestyle as belonging to three different social categories: ‘the chosen ones‘, ‘the traditionals' and ‘the unconventionals’. In all three clubs it seemed to be common for men to offer to buy women drinks. The traditional gender role pattern was evident in all social categories. However, there were also differences among them in this respect. Men of the ‘the chosen ones' category might be described as acting like ‘gentlemen' when offering to buy drinks for women whom they did not know. In contrast, ‘traditional' men acted more like the traditional ‘provider‘, and ‘unconventional' men behaved more like the women's ‘pals’. There are thus consequences for both men's and women's motives for, and reactions to, offering somebody a drink.