Si-nais talking dirty : Hong Kong middle class working mothers on- and offline
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Sexualities
Publication Date
1-1-2013
Volume
16
Issue
1-2
First Page
61
Last Page
77
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd.
Keywords
Female sexuality, Hong Kong women, internet community, motherhood, si-nai
Abstract
Based on participant observation and content analysis of a web-based community of Hong Kong middle-class working mothers, I discuss narratives of ‘si-naihood’ (married motherhood), which have emerged from their online and offline interactions. This web-based space-time provided an unusual window into the multiplicities of motherhood articulation. The study found that although traditional motherhood narratives predominated, alternative narratives, which have emerged through ‘talking-dirty’, banter and teasing throw light on how sexual selves and si-naihood are articulated. While more or less routinely and consciously reproducing traditionally defined ‘si-naihood’, their performance occasionally ‘let slip’ and revealed the arduous yet fragile nature of this identity. Issues emerging from my role as ‘accidental researcher’ as well as the socio-cultural trajectory of the identity of si-nai in 21st-century Hong Kong are also discussed.
DOI
10.1177/1363460712466212
Print ISSN
13634607
E-ISSN
14617382
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2012 The Author(s)
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Chan, H. N., Annie. (2013). Si-nais talking dirty: Hong Kong middle class working mothers on- and offline. Sexualities, 16(0), 61-77. doi: 10.1177/1363460712466212