Uncovering Female Swearing Motivation and Its Role in Hardwicke’s Thirteen (2003) Film

Swearing is traditionally associated with male characters [2], but Thirteen (2003) film challenges gender norms by depicting female characters, Tracy, Evie, Melanie, Brooke, and Astrid, frequently using swear words. This study aims to identify the types and purposes of swearing uttered by female characters based on Hughes’ [8] and Rothwell’s framework [9]. Using observation and distributional methods in descriptive-qualitative research, the writer discovered 80 data on swearing uttered by female characters in the film. The writer found 31 data on swearing related to religion and taboo terms, 24 data on swearing related to personal background, 18 data on swearing related to excrement, 5 data on swearing related to excrement, and 2 data on swearing related to animal terms. Notably, the writer found no occurrences of swearing related to racism and sex used by the female characters. It is also found that female characters conduct swearing for varied purposes, including to provide catharsis, to raise attention, discredit, and to create interpersonal identification. In highlighting the female characters’ swearing behaviors, the writer also offered insight into the swearing culture in the society, particularly used by American teenagers.