‘It Feels Like Life Is Narrowing’: Aspirational Lifestyles and Ambivalent Futures among Norwegian ‘Top Girls’

Analyses of young feminine identities have often focused on consumption, career and intimate life as separate spheres. In this article, we bring these together to nuance the concept ‘top girl’. Drawing a qualitative study Norwegian girls’’ alcohol consumption lifestyles explore how ‘appropriate’ are configured in present future. We analyse egalitarian context shapes contours girl’ find that ‘progressive’ values central our participants’ lifestyles. However, progressive expected collide with ‘square’ lives participants see awaiting them middle-class adult women mothers. argue grow older, range legitimate, femininities is narrowing. Further, suggest an such lacks attractive, equivalent.