Eschewing Versus Embracing a Victim Identity

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores how the military’s femmephobic and hyper-masculine culture affects how servicewomen respond to harassment. The military’s emphasis on embodying a warrior portrays military identities in opposition to victim identities. Many servicewomen do not confront harassers or use official reporting channels; rather, they develop individual strategies to manage harassment (such as seeking transfers and avoiding known harassers) to eschew the stigmatized victim label. The power of the femmephobic context and culture creates powerful interactional-level barriers for servicewomen to confront or report harassment. However, women with combat experience have enough “masculinity insurance” to wield in interaction with servicemembers who are disrespecting them and do confront harassers. Their status as a warrior gained through combat deployments means that admitting to being a victim of sexual harassment does not threaten their status as military insiders. They mobilize this power to confront and report harassers. While women make choices in how to resist harassment, these choices are constrained by the prioritization of masculinity at the institutional and interactional level.