Who promoted the nightlife of flirts? Freedom or capitalist business?

Abstract

There is scientific and rich literature about sexual-affective relationships in the nightlife. Some of the contributions analyze the freedom or the harassments in those relationships. Less has been researched about to what extent the origin and evolution of the promotion and extension of the participation of young people in the nightlife was motivated by their demand for freedom or by the nightlife business. This article presents results of the research about this matter within the framework of the Horizon 2020 Allinteract project. In addition to desk research and a literature review, the research includes interviews to participants in the young nightlife from 1960 until 2022. Besides the diversity of ages and genders of interviewees, the results show three coincidences among all of them: a) they and their friends paid more for less on drinks than in any other consumption they made; b) the motivation for this payment was the will to feel attractive for others; c) disdainful hookups were normalized among those who do not feel attractive enough.

Keywords

• nightlife, capitalist business, attractiveness, flirt, coercive discourse, disdainful hookups