Dottie and Me: Constructing Childless-by-Choice Alternative Rhetorics

Authors

Courtney Adams Wooten, Stephen F. Austin State UniversityFollow

Abstract

Drawing on David L. Wallace's concept of "alternative rhetorics," this essay examines the recent growth of childless-by-choice rhetoric on social media. Analyzing how discourses about parenthood invalidate childless adults and divide parents from childless adults, I argue that the circulation of texts on social media needs to becomes more inclusive of the lives of those who choose to remain childless. Doing so promotes greater discussion about the roles adults can fill and how parenthood has been privileged in our society.

About the Author(s)

Courtney Adams Wooten is an assistant professor of English and first-year writing program administrator at Stephen F. Austin State University. She hopes that this article will persuade her remaining doubtful relatives and friends that she really is serious when she says she doesn’t want children (yes, NEVER). All of her career goals have been achieved now that she has published about the best dog in the world, Dottie, and shared Dottie’s face with the world.

DOI

10.15760/harlot.2015.13.5

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39475

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Adams Wooten, Courtney (2015) "Dottie and Me: Constructing Childless-by-Choice Alternative Rhetorics," Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion: No. 13, 5.
https://doi.org/10.15760/harlot.2015.13.5