Gays’ market and social behaviors in (de)constructing symbolic boundaries

Abstract

The paper approaches the issue of the (de)construction of gay/straight symbolic boundaries. The interpretative model discussed acknowledges two main theoretical calls: (i) Holt's post‐structuralist concern for complementing our understanding of consumption through the analysis of what and how consumers consume; and (ii) Keating and McLoughlin's quest to extend our investigation of gay/mainstream dynamics beyond the mere market economy. Findings cover four main areas: (i) the emergence and exploitation of queer cultural meanings in the (de)construction of boundaries; (ii) the categorization of gay/straight consumption in negotiating fluid separations and affiliation; (iii) the way power impacts the levers (i.e. meanings and products) that gays and straights exploit in their ongoing negotiation; and (iv) the exclusive patterns of gay consumption, which further challenge the emergence or rejection of symbolic boundaries. By making social separations more fluid, this paper fosters transformative market praxes that ultimately may improve consumer life.

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