sluts and wiggers: a study of the effects of derogatory labeling

This research investigated how poor teenage girls from the marginal teenage subculture react to persistent derogatory labeling from higher status teenagers and adult authorities. The research found that a supportive emotional bond with a mother or grandmother insulates a girl from the harmful effects of derogatory stereotyping. Girls, who had an adult to trust for emotional support, did not engage in promiscuous, unprotected sex and less frequently used alcohol and other drugs. A second finding was that the experience of derogatory labeling did not cause most of the girls to develop persistent low self-esteem.