ABSTRACT
Messy, problematic, drunk women are well-established figures in popular culture. This chapter begins by addressing the one-sided nature of such representation, and continues to analyse findings gathered through qualitative interviews with a small group of women to deliver insights into the ways that drunk women engage in dialogues with themselves, and take time to ‘be’ in their bodies. The significance of this research is based in exploring the underside of masculinised alcohol culture, seeking out the untold stories, meanings and sensations that exist for women drinkers. The analysis is anchored by Iris Marion Young’s (1980) work in her essay ‘Throwing like a Girl’ and argues that it is possible to think of women’s intoxication as capable of causing a break in the cycle of their self-surveillance. I suggest there are significant benefits in re-framing casual drinking as a potentially productive activity for women to engage in; as an opportunity to use alcohol to explore the ways they perceive themselves and, to open up possibilities of alternate relations to the self.
