In the US and other countries within its sphere of influence, drinking has become part of
our national culture. Drinking is a behavior that’s accepted and, subsequently, may be expected
and anticipated in a variety of settings. In our contemporary culture, people primarily drink to
enhance sociability, for personal enjoyment, to escape problems, and to relieve stress.
The social norm that follows is that drinking has become required in almost all social
situations involving women. What fuels this norm is a belief that alcohol consumption is a
positive component of women’s lives and interactions.
In the last decade, and mainly in the US, a new kind of feminine identity has started to
develop that’s related to drinking-centered events and activities, beyond the occasional happy
hour or girls’ night out. Alcohol is included in almost all situations in which women get together.
If there are no drinks, the party or gathering is considered not fun or interesting enough to attend.
This has created an additional cultural space where drinking is normalized that is termed the
feminine drinking culture (FDC).
From our social observations over many years, the feminine drinking culture helps
women develop a friendship and a support system and dissipates envy and competition between
us. With alcohol, women may feel more outgoing and fun, less inhibited or reserved, and ready
to mingle with the group. Conversations usually revolve around personal topics and
gossip—dating, kids, family pressures, exercise, weight, nutrition, partner’s level of attachment,
successes or failures at work, etc. In short, alcohol plays a role in female friendships, and women
may use alcohol as a tool to enhance socializing, trust, and intimacy.
To be part of the feminine drinking culture, women are conditioned by their social groups
to believe:

 Women shouldn’t criticize other women for drinking alcohol.
 Women shouldn’t be concerned about drinking.
 Drinking is an essential part of personal life and social activities.
 Drinking is the way to relax and decompress.
 There are only two types of drinkers: those who can control themselves (us = social or
recreational drinkers) and those who can’t (them = people who depend on or abuse
alcohol).

There are tremendous social pressures in the feminine drinking culture. Even in the
context of women’s social groups, there is strong peer pressure and mixed messages directed to
and internalized by women. 1 On the one hand, there may be pressure not only to drink but also to
continue drinking until one becomes tipsy or moderately drunk. At the same time, women
consuming alcohol are expected to maintain their “femininity” and “keep it together”—no gross
excesses, vomiting, anger, or physical aggression (as men might display). Even tipsiness must be
feminine and charming—fun, funny, witty, and relaxed.
. Women are often put in a double bind regarding alcohol use and caught between conflicting, opposing messages.
On the one hand, “Stand up to gendered taboos and stigma about drinking alcohol; don’t worry about it,” and on the
other hand, “If you drink too much and damage your health or gain weight, it’s your fault.”

References:
Lamberghini-West, A., Triplett, P., (2024, 06/09). TIPSY, A Woman Self-Guided Method for Managing Alcohol.
Copyright (2024) unpublished manuscript