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In a world driven by social media, the portrayal of femininity is often curated, shaping societal gender norms and individual self-perception. This timely study investigates the use and impact of boudoir photography on the self-perception of Slovak adult women and their sharing practices, exploring how they negotiate gender expectations through this medium employing gender theory and uses and gratifications theory. By exploring this intersection, I provide insights into contemporary feminist movements, linking this discourse to boudoir photography and sharing practices on social media networks as an act of feminism. The research reveals the complexities and tensions inherent in this process as participants navigate gender pressures and societal expectations of femininity. Despite boudoir photography's empowering potential for self-expression, women struggle with ingrained heteronormative ideals, on the journey toward self-perception within visual culture. By bridging theoretical frameworks with empirical findings, this study underscores the significance of boudoir photography within the realm of feminist discourse, offering insights into the dynamic interplay between gender norms, agency, and visual representation in online spaces.

The present dissertation deals with the artistic collaboration of a married couple, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald. Living in Glasgow at the turn of the century, theeå, Swedeny concentrated their work on interior design. However, artistic collaboration has been neglected by traditional art history, with its concentration on individual creativity. For the couple in question, this has meant that the work they created together has been mainly attributed to Mackintosh, thereby relegating Mac­donald to the role of spouse and assistant, rather than co-creator. The present disser­tation presents a different picture of the couple's collaboration, challenging and revi­sing our cultural perceptions about the creative abilities of the respective sexes. A selection of interiors created by the Mackintoshes is studied in order to shed light on their collaborative efforts. The analyses embark from the perspectives of «masculine» and «feminine» in order to show how the Mackintoshes created artistic wholeness in their interiors, while at the same time opening up the spaces for a mixture of actors, i.e. making the rooms accessible to men and women alike through their designs. During this epoch, the concepts of «masculine» and «feminine» were employed as natural points of reference in an attempt to explain social and cultural phenomena scientifically. The Mackintoshes made use of the era's conventions when creating interiors in the accepted division of masculine (hallways, dining rooms, libraries) and feminine (bedrooms, salons) spaces. However, with time they began to combine these accepted gender forms in order to create something new and modern. Just as the Mackintoshes could create more powerful works of art by combining their respective artistic talents, their spaces could accrue greater significance through the combination of masculine and feminine principles. / digitalisering@umu