Your Presence is Requested at Our Divorce Party
Are divorce parties just another excuse to throw a party? A Hallmark created celebration? Or just another example of celebrity excess? Stephanie Medley-Rath explains how a divorce party may be an...
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Hot Pants in the Frozen Aisle: Shaming & Norming the POWM
The popular “People of Walmart” website has achieved a cult-like following, with an accompanying book and merchandise for faithful followers. Public shaming as a form of social disapproval doesn’t just...
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On the Menu: Fried Cicadas, Hummus, and Guacamole
Bugs. They’re what’s for dinner? The foods we eat are a product of our culture and as our world becomes more interconnected we have seen the delicacies of one culture spill over into another. In this...
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How to Ride in an Elevator in Five Easy Steps
Social life has norms and sociologists seek to uncover, explore, and understand these norms. In this post, Stephanie Medley-Rath explores the norms of riding an elevator and what elevators can teach us...
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Don’t Rummage Through my Things! Moving & Deviance
How do you behave when visiting someone’s home? Do you go through their medicine cabinet? In this post, Stephanie Medley-Rath describes how all the moving-related house guests (i.e. movers, realtors,...
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“Trick-or-Treat, Smell My Feet”: How to “Do Halloween”
How do you “do Halloween?” In this post, Stephanie Medley-Rath describes the conflicting messages she received from her family, her peers, and the media about how to celebrate Halloween. Please accept...
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Running on Red: A Marathoner Tests the Menstruation Taboo
There is an unwritten rule for women: hide your menstruation and any products associated with it. One woman recently decided to break this rule while running 26.2 miles through London without a tampon...
View ArticleDriving Norms and Autonomous Cars
Can a robot follow human-made norms? In this post, Stephanie Medley-Rath wonders how autonomous cars can navigate both driving mores and folkways. I loathe driving. If someone else volunteers to...
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When (not) to Talk About Money
In this piece, Sarah Ford examines the process of socialization in to norms about money. Recently I was at dinner with my family and a friend’s family. During our weekly family dinner date, my...
View ArticleA Sociologist Visits an Art Museum: Race, Art, and Selfies
When a sociologist visits an art museum, what do they see? In this instance, Stephanie Medley-Rath connects the racial composition of the place to the artwork on display and the photography behavior of...
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