"I'm Not a Pimp, but I Play One on TV": The Moral Career and Identity Negotiations of Third Parties in the Sex Industry. Issue 7 (3rd July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hannem, Stacey; Bruckert, Chris
• Is Part Of: Deviant behavior. Volume 38:Issue 7(2017)
• Page Start: 824
• Page End: 836
• Publication Date: 2017-07-03
• Subjects: Deviant behavior -- Periodicals; 302.54205
• DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2016.1197700
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0163-9625

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Goffman described the moral career of stigmatized persons as a process by which an individual acquires a stigmatized identity. His analysis, which assumes that individuals recognize and adopt the normative framing of their behavior, glosses over individual identity negotiations. Drawing on 50 interviews with sex industry third parties, this article examines stereotype consciousness—defined as the interactional processes that lead individuals to recognize that they have a discreditable identity. We explore how participants negotiate their identities in response to the social and legal constructions of pimps, procurers, and traffickers, and examine their resistance to the stigmatizing stereotypes that characterize their work.