Playing with gender borders: Flirting and alcohol consumption among young adults in Denmark

In this article we explore the gendered aspects of flirting as an integral part of a night out among young adults in Denmark, specifically a night out in mainstream bars and clubs. Empirically, we base our analysis on 140 qualitative interviews with regular alcohol users between 18 and 25 years of age. Drawing on Ahmed’s notion of orientation in combination with Thorne’s notions of gender play and borderwork, our aim is to explore and discuss how flirting – for these young adults – becomes an unavoidable interactional practice in night-time economy (NTE) contexts. This is in some cases experienced as easy and enjoyable, and in others as uncomfortable and challenging. In the analysis, we specifically focus on how gender norms related to the NTE is navigated and/or challenged by our participants, in relation to flirting. The study shows how the gendered norms of the mainstream NTE are, in some instances, supportive of its participants’ flirting practices and experiences, and in other cases challenging. In conclusion, we emphasise that the young adults relate challenges both to queer flirting and to heterosexual flirting, and that notions of risks in this context relate to risks of stigmatisation, rather than health risks.