Intoxication, Sexual Consent and Masculine Performances

This paper examines how young heterosexual men negotiated notions of masculinity, manhood and sexual consent in intoxicated sexual encounters. Based on in-depth qualitative interviews with young men in Northern California, US, and drawing on recent developments within theories of masculinity and sexual script theory, the findings discussed here show that many of the men interviewed distanced themselves from sexually predatory behaviors, redefining "real manhood" as being attentive to gaining affirmative consent. However, at the same time, their strategies, such as setting personal rules, relying on relational familiarity, or adopting risk-avoidant stances, often reinforced traditional male-initiator norms. Importantly, participants described experiences of occasional regret and vulnerability, complicating the assumption that men are always ready for sex and always in control. Exploring intoxicated sexual encounters therefore emerged as a critical arena in which notions of masculinity were, at the same time, both reproduced and reshaped, revealing tensions between new forms of ethical self-presentation and more traditional sexual scripts.