Jenny Lind was an opera singer in the years 1838–49. During this time she was given the status f an icon mainly due to her image. She was almost sanctified by the press. Her “private personality” was assigned a saintly purity, and she became a stereotype symbol of femininity. This dissertation investigates what factors interacted that made this possible, and highlight the importance of Lind’s voice for her image. Jenny Lind’s voice was a high soprano, but not very powerful. By positioning herself in a singing tradition that corresponded to her voice’s advantages, she managed to develop an equilibrium, which she used well. Lind’s voice was often perceived as unusual; she had a particular voice timbre. She also had a vocal defect. Her tones from f’–a’ are described as “husky”, and sometimes hoarse. This means that her voice let through more air than her vocal cords could use. My argument is that it was the voice damage that created unique timbre that the contemporary critics perceived as particularly “feminine”. Lind’s weak and damaged voice corresponds to the nineteenth century’s female ideal: fragile and weak. Moreover, Lind needed to adept her roles to her damage voice and the consequence was that also her interpretations were perceived “feminine”. In other words, Lind exerted a gender performative voice processing. All of Jenny Lind’s roles became representatives of femininity, regardless of whether it was the role’s purpose or not. Lind adapted all her interpretations to her weak voce, it's strength being high notes, pianissimo dynamics and equilibrism, and gave all her roles a genderstereotyped voice.

Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att undersöka fenomenet turvandringar för äldre och medelålders kvinnor för att se på vilket sätt de konstruerar föreställningar om femininitet och ålder. Studien bygger på en diskursanalys av de två organisationerna Svenska Turistföreningen (STF) och Friluftsfrämjandets inbjudningar och texter kring turvandringar riktade till kvinnor och seniorer samt av friluftsbloggen Tanter på tur. Jag har i min analys funnit tre övergripande samhällsdiskurser kring prestation, kropp och hälsa vilka alla förhandlar om att definiera den turande tanten. Materialet har analyserats diskursivt med en feministisk och post-strukturalistisk grund utifrån teorier om kvinnans kroppsliga rörelsemönster vilket baseras på teorin att kvinnan är “det andra” och objekt i relation till det manliga subjektet. Undersökingen har gjorts utifrån teorier om den äldre kroppen där dualismen mellan det upplevda jaget och den synliga åldrande utsidan av kroppen har varit centrala.               Som undersökningen har visat förhåller sig tantvandringars konstitutiva utsida, alltså organiserade vandringar och äventyr så som de Friluftsfrämjandet och STF arrangerar, till den medelålders och äldre turande kvinnan som att hon har en ofullständig fysik, låga idrottsliga ambitioner samt att hon tränar för ett hälso- och skönhetssyfte. Konsekvensen av dessa diskurser kring prestation, hälsa och kropp blir tydlig via bloggen Tanter på tur där de turvandrande och bloggande äldre kvinnorna internaliserar den konstitutiva utsidans ålderism och nedvärderande blick vilket i sin tur påverkar hur de beskriver sina egna kroppar och handlingsutrymme.

Bakgrund: Sexualiteten är en del av varje människa och den sexuella hälsan är en del i den övergripande hälsan. Bröstcancer och behandling av bröstcancer påverkar de sexuella funktionerna. Dessa förändringar kan ha stor inverkan på kvinnans sexuella hälsa.Syfte: Att belysa hur kvinnor med bröstcancer upplever sin sexuella hälsa. Metod: Studien är kvalitativ och data har samlats in från bloggar som sedan analyserats induktivt.Resultat: Under analysen bildades de tre kategorierna Upplevelsen av kroppslig attraktivitet, Påverkad känsla av kvinnlighet och Inverkan på sexuella funktioner. Kvinnorna upplevde att deras förändrade utseende och de påverkade sexuella funktionerna förändrade deras psykiska välmående och sättet att se på sig själva. Både fysiska, psykiska och emotionella förändringar hade stor inverkan på den sexuella hälsan.Slutsatser: Sexuell hälsa ses som en kombination av fysiskt, socialt och emotionellt välbefinnande i samband med sexualitet. Den sexuella hälsan hotas vid en cancerdiagnos och det är viktigt att inte enbart fokusera på en av dessa faktorer utan se den drabbade kvinnan som en helhet. Kvinnorna ger uttryck för en maktobalans inom vården då vårdpersonal inte diskuterar ämnet. Det finns ett behov av ytterligare kunskap om fenomenet som kan genereras genom vidare forskning. / Background: Sexuality is a part of every human and sexual health is part of the overall health. Breast cancer and treatment of breast cancer affect sexual function . These changes can have major impact on women's sexual health.Purpose: To illustrate how women with breast cancer experience their sexual health.Method: The study is qualitative and data were gathered from blogs and then analyzed inductively.Results: During the analysis three categories were formed The perception of bodily attractiveness, Affected sense of femininity and Impact on sexual function. The altered appearance and the affected sexual function changed the womens mental well-being and way of looking at themselves. Both physical, mental and emotional changes had  impact on the sexual health.Conclusions: Sexual health is a combination of physical, social and emotional well-being related to sexuality. The sexual health is threatened by cancer diagnosis and it is important not to focus exclusively on one of these factors but see the woman as entirety. The women reflect an imbalance in health care when healthcare professionals do not discuss this topic. Further understanding of the phenomenon is needed and may be generated by further research.

Background: Impulse buying is increasingly grown and it creates up to 80% of all purchases in certain low involvement product categories. In Sweden, a Swede can spend 20000SEK a year for impulse shopping in average. On the other hand, impulse buying is calculated to be strongly grown in the emerging markets such as Vietnam and Turkey. Due to the steady economic growth of 7% every year in Vietnam, it leads to a higher demand in shopping of the consumers. Similarly, Turkey’s economy is considered as one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and consequently leads to the increase of impulse buying behavior among the customers. Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to expand the understanding of the impulse buying behavior by looking further into the role of culture in cross-cultural contexts Hypothesis:   H1-There is a significant relationship between individualism-collectivism and impulse buying behavior. H2- There is a significant relationship between power distance and impulse buying behavior. H3- There is a significant relationship between uncertainty-avoidance and impulse buying behavior H4- There is a significant relationship between masculinity-femininity and impulse buying behavior Methodology: Three focus groups and seven interviews are served as the pre-study and a cross-cultural questionnaire is substantially conducted across three countries: Sweden, Turkey and Vietnam. Findings: Culture generates certain effects on impulse buying behavior and the influence is diverse across these countries. However, the findings also indicate that there could be other factors that could affect impulse buying behavior.

This thesis is a comparative analysis between two books from the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. We chose to work with book 1 - Dead Until Dark and book 10 - Dead in the Family. Our analysis is based on a gender perspective, using the litterature we present in previous research and theory. The aim for the thesis was to examine how gender and sexuality is portrayed in the books. In addition, we have looked at how the books represent gender norms in society through their characters and if named characters change throughout the series. We have applied comparative analysis and Nikolajeva's scheme on stereotypical males and females in litterature. We chose to analyse the four main characters - Sookie, Bill, Eric and Sam. In our analysis we discuss how the balance of power between the characters is portrayed as well as their gender and sexuality in relation to each other. Our analysis indicate that the characters are mainly portrayed with stereotypical gender norms and the comparison between the two books shows us no or very little development of named norms. Moreover, we observed that Sookies female gender is portrayed in relation to the three male characters, Bill, Eric and Sam. In addition, the male characters gender is also described in relation to the female character. Our analysis through Nikolajeva´s scheme depicts the characters in all categories of stereotypical gender roles. Sookie could often be categorized as a normative female whilst Bill and Eric in majority were categorized as normative males. Sams character was the only one to portray both female and male characteristics. This was depicted in both books. Further more, the male genders were portrayed similar in both books although the characters were mentioned more regularly in book 1 compared to book 10. Conclusively, we discussed how the books can be used in class to teach about gender, sexuality and norms. Lastly, we stressed what the positive and negative outcomes for teachers may be and what we think is important in class not to emulate stereotypical gender roles.

Bakgrund: Bröstcancer drabbar ca 8 000 personer varje år och är den vanligaste cancerformen hos kvinnor i Sverige. Mastektomi är en behandlingsform där hela bröstkörteln avlägsnas. Denna operationsmetod påverkar kvinnans självkänsla, synen på sin kvinnlighet och kroppsbild. Det är en omtumlande situation som kräver sjuksköterskans stöd. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva kvinnors upplevelser av att ha genomgått en mastektomi på grund av bröstcancer. Metod: Litteraturstudien består av 14 kvalitativa artiklar som granskats och analyserats genom innehållsanalys. Sökningen genomfördes i CINAHL och PubMed. Resultatet av analysen sammanställdes i kategorier och underkategorier. Resultat: Resultatet beskrevs i tre kategorier: en förändrad kroppsbild, en utmaning av den kvinnliga identiteten och en förändrad livssituation. Att ha genomgått en mastektomi väckte många tankar och känslor, som kunde innebära en upplevelse av förlorad identitet, kvinnlighet och sexualitet. Många kvinnor valde att dölja bröstförlusten med kläder, proteser eller rekonstruktiv operation. Konklusion: Att ha genomgått en mastektomi innebär en förändrad kroppsbild, som kan vara svår att hantera. Genom den ökade förståelsen och kunskapen som studien ger kan sjuksköterskor i vården bemöta dessa kvinnor på ett bättre sätt. / Background: Breast cancer affects about 8 000 people each year and is the most common cancer affecting women in Sweden. Mastectomy is a form of treatment in which the entire mammary gland is removed. This surgery method affects a woman's self-esteem, perception of her femininity and body image. This shattering situation requires nurses support. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe women's experiences who have undergone a mastectomy due to breast cancer. Methods: This literature study consists of 14 qualitative articles who were reviewed and analyzed through content analysis. The search was conducted in CINAHL and PubMed. The results of the analysis were compiled into categories and subcategories. Results: The results showed three categories: an altered body image, a challenge of the female identity and a changed life situation. To have undergone a mastectomy raised many thoughts and feelings, which may imply a sense of loss of identity, femininity and sexuality. Many women wanted to hide the breast loss by clothing, prostheses or reconstructive surgery. Conclusion: An altered body image due to mastectomy can be difficult to manage. By the knowledge and understanding this study provides, nurses can give these women an optimal care.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

There is a clear relationship between motherhood and space in the sense that motherhood is constituted spatially, taking specific and shifting forms in different spaces and because gendered geographies are made, remade or contested in terms of how women practise motherhood and other social identities in particular spaces. The meanings of motherhood are subject to constant renegotiation when gender identity is lived and constructed in times of hardship, political change or upheaval. Over the last few decades, Nicaragua has experienced dictatorship, insurrection, revolution, Contra war, more than a decade of neoliberal structural adjustment policies and a number of disasters including Hurricane Mitch which hit Nicaragua in October 1998. The social and cultural context in which women mother is a complex one. Family life is unstable and fluid and Nicaragua has large numbers of single mothers. However, a number of institutional actors have attempted to undermine this complexity by trying to fix the meanings of motherhood, family, femininity, masculinity and sexuality in simplified and reified ways. These attempts contribute to the pervasiveness of dominant discourses of motherhood. In many ways, everyday practices of motherhood are at odds with dominant discourses and the goal of this thesis is to broaden understandings of the way motherhood intersects with other cultural processes in particular spaces and of how women negotiate competing facets of multiple identities. Based on qualitative research conducted in Matagalpa with a group of single mothers, this thesis explores a number of arenas in which women negotiate motherhood, including family breakdown, revolution and counterrevolution, structural adjustment and disaster, and demonstrates how everyday practices challenge dominant understandings. Given that individuals participate in a number of discursive practices simultaneously, the intersection of dominant discourses and everyday practices work to create specific geographies of mothering. This means for example that women might adopt more masculine subject positions in relation to work and family while engaging in maternal politics in the political sphere or that male violence towards women can be condemned and single motherhood adopted as a positive form of identity assertion while uneasiness is expressed about the absence of fathers in children’s lives. By contextualising the conditions in which women mother and focusing on how individual women feel about and reflect upon their lives, this study illustrates the multiple dimensions of motherhood which exist within Nicaraguan culture and the contradictions faced by women who mother in sites of intense cultural struggle. This study has important implications for the epistemological transformation that is taking place within feminist geography in particular and within human geography more broadly. Motherhood has the discursive power to shape and define gender identities, but it can also be used to unsettle or destabilise gender and sexuality in material and discursive space.

The purpose of this essay is to show how femininity is construed in a visual hipster discourse. The material used mainly consists of four adverts from the fashion company American Apparel and four blogs with the word hipster in the title. The method used is inspired by semiotics and discourse analysis and the theory is based on feminist visual culture. Focus is placed on both a deep analysis of the images and texts individually, and a review of the discourse and context in which they interact, in order to discover how femininity is construed among hipsters. Throughout the course of the analysis, gender and sexuality is a consistent focus and leads to other aspects related to power not being prioritised. The analysis section is divided into two main areas of focus where American Apparel is the first part and the hipster blogs the other. Each section begins with an analysis of images and text and is concluded with a summary. In the concluding discussion, it becomes clear that sexist images are used to represent women primarily by American Apparel, but this stereotype is also apparent in the blogs. It is also clear from the analysis of the material that unique and alternative fashion is promoted. Rather than re-contextualising femininity, the traditional objectification of women is hidden behind the hipster ideal. The essay concludes with several brief thoughts and discussion on whether it is possible to apply this ideal of women on a larger part of society than just hipsters.

This study intends to gain understanding of how mothers in the two first years postpartum feel about and relate themselves to the ideal of thinness. The empirical material is based on new mothers’ perceptions and experiences. The data is collected through a qualitative method based on interviews.   The study is interpreted by a social constructive perspective and the theoretical framework has been objectification theory and Connell’s theory of gender. Some of the theoretical concepts we have used to understand the mothers’ experiences are “norms”, “normative femininity” and “social stigma”. We also have used the thematic concept “the social body”, which is an understanding of the body as a carrier of social meaning   The results of the study show that new mothers have a problematic relation to their own bodies. This problematic approach to the body arises from the constant presence of the ideal of thinness and comments from the surroundings, as the norms of interpersonal relationships are modified during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The bodies of the new mothers become objectified by the comments from the surroundings and their bodies are therefore under social control.   The ideal of thinness has a big impact on the new mothers’ body perception. We have therefore identified four strategies that the mothers use to manage the ideal: 1. With the help of clothes the new mothers precede the social pressure that the ideal of thinness generates by concealing their bodies that they experience does not comply with the ideal; 2. The new mothers adapt their bodies to the ideal by physical exercise; 3. The new mothers adapt their bodies to the ideal by diet; 4. The new mothers use cognitive strategies to feel more at ease with their postpartum bodies, by thinking kind thoughts about themselves and their own bodies.