This thesis proposes a critical study of the techniques and motives behind modern commodity feminist advertising, focusing on the appropriation of the “young girl” as a symbol of the feminist cause. This evolving trend in advertising, building upon new movements of empowerment and the recent proliferation of the online feminist space, is shifting the logics of consumption by marketing feminist ideology and activism through consumer purchasing power. By prompting consumers to believe that their purchases can make a significant change, companies are developing brand loyalty in their key marketing demographics by using the image and rhetoric of the “young girl” to tap into a term I call “anti-nostalgia,” a nostalgia whereby women leverage the inherent sentimentality of childhood with a constructive understanding and rejection of the destructively sexist climate they experienced to combat these sociocultural conditions for future generations. Joining theoretical research on branding, user-generated content, and the neoliberal ideology of the consumer-citizen, I argue that these advertising campaigns, coupled with online spaces for public interaction and participation, effectively create channels for their target consumers to contribute to this commodified form of activism. In reality, however, these “feminist” purchases are simply forms of consumer self-therapy in a modern political climate of systemic gender discrimination.

Syftet med denna studie är att utifrån en multimodal kritisk diskursanalys (MCDA) undersöka hur feministiska grundidéer, såsom jämställdhet och kvinnlig frigörelse, utnyttjas av företag i kommersiella syften. Med utgångspunkt i feministisk teori, postfeministisk teori och commodity feminism undersöks hur femvertising, det vill säga marknadsföring som hyllar kvinnor och flickor snarare än att objektifiera dem, används i ett antal sektioner av intimhygienföretaget DeoDocs webbplats. Studiens resultat påvisar att DeoDoc genom en medicinsk diskurs framställs som experter. DeoDoc betonar att företaget är grundat av kvinnor som vill empower, utbilda och höja andra kvinnor. Uttryck för female empowerment återfinns i form av uppmaningar till kvinnor om att älska sina kroppar och sig själva samt en överlexikalisering kring kvinnliga läkare, kvinnliga grundare och kvinnliga entreprenörer. Normbrytande och systerskap är feministiska grundidéer som existerar i materialet från DeoDoc. Även element av postfeminism återfinns, där commodity feminism, empowerment, självförverkligande och individualism är återkommande. Slutligen påträffas tre dominerande diskurser – en medicinsk diskurs, en feministisk diskurs och en postfeministisk diskurs. Användandet av feministiska grundidéer i marknadsföringssyfte kan uppfattas som positivt då femvertising bidrar till brytande av normer men samtidigt går det att argumentera för att femvertising riskerar att bidra till en stagnation av jämställdhetsutvecklingen i samhället och att feminismen avpolitiseras.

Gender and stereotypes in advertising is a critical discourse analysis aimed at studying how femininity and masculinity is portrayed in Gillette and Gillette Venus marketing on YouTube. Both brands have, after the #metoo campaign, opted to approach their marketing from different point of view since their previous advertising has been heavily criticized for endorsing negative gender stereotypes. The theoretical framework consists of commodity feminism, the male gaze, stereotyping and hegemonic masculinity. The material studied were three commercials taken from each brand’s YouTube channel since the change in marketing direction. The videos were posted in 2018-2019. The results show that although both brands have made a change in how they portray femininity and masculinity there are still sizeable differences in how women and men are approached as target groups.

The use of feminist messages in marketing is not a new phenomenon. However, there has been an increase in using this as a strategy in later years. Estrid is a Swedish company that sells a razor subscription service with an entire marketing strategy based on using feminist messages. This contradictory paradox motivated this thesis' subject and aim: to examine how young women interpret feminist messages in parts of Estrid's communication, and to critically discuss the use of a feminist strategy in communication from a company that sells razors to women from the perspective of commodity feminism according to Rosalind Gill. The research questions are thereby: 1) Can Rosalind Gill's aspects of commodity feminism be identified in parts of Estrid's communication? If so, how?; 2) How does young women interpret the feminist messages in parts of Estrid's communication?To answer the purpose statement, a semiotic analysis was conducted with pictures derived from Estrid's website. Two focus groups with women in the ages 20–25 was held to get the perspective from a potential target group. The material was then analyzed through the lens of commodity feminism. Through this analysis we could identify the use of multiple of Rosalind Gill's aspects of commodity feminism through different semiotic connotations in the material, as well as in the commentary from the focus groups. Further, the study demonstrated a feeling of internal ambivalence amongst the focus group participants. On the one hand, everyone showed a positive attitude towards Estrid including diverse models and body hair in their advertisements. On the other hand, they were all skeptical towards the genuinity of the feminist messages included in the same material. What inspired this thesis was therefore present in all stages throughout it: the paradox of selling razors using feminist messages.

In light of the recent trend of body positive advertisements, the question arises if they are having the positive outcome intended. The purpose of this study is to investigate how women create meaning in relation to two recently launched body positive commercials from KappAhl and Lindex. This is explored through studying how women experience and assess the selected ads, how they perceive body positive advertisements more generally, and how they experience their potential to change the perception of the ideal body in society. The primary material consisted of semi-structured interviews which were analyzed through Schrøder’s multidimensional model of media reception, objectification theory and commodity feminism. The main results showed that the reception of the body positive message is complex. Overall, the women had a predominantly positive attitude towards both the ads and body positive messages in general. Regarding the advertisements, the main critique concerned the authenticity of the message, where the women emphasized the importance of genuine and realistic portrayals of both the models and the scenarios in the ads. Body positive messages were generally perceived as creating identification and representation of diversity, as well as broadening the view of what is normal. A recurrent critique was that companies are exploiting a trend which led to the women questioning the companies’ intentions. Concerning the potential to change the perception of the ideal body, the conclusion is that it would be possible through long term exposure and more companies contributing to the change. This research provides insights regarding how distancing women from the negative effects of the thin ideal can contribute to strengthening their prosperity and empowering them.

The purpose of this paper is to research in which way feminist messages are incorporated and communicated through femvertisements from the 1970’s, 1990’s and 2010’s. In doing so our goal is to achieve an elaborated understanding of how feminism is used in advertisements as well as how these messages have changed over time. A theoretical framework consisting of feminist theory, gender theory, discourse theory and representation theory was applied. The study was conducted through a multimodal critical discourse analysis where nine advertisement pictures, three from each decade, were analysed. The purpose of the analysis was to identify the symbols and visual elements in the advertisements which carry meaning and relate to feminist discourses. The result of the study found that the femvertisements from the 1970’s, 1990’s and 2010’s were shaped by the feminist and social context in which they were produced. Advertisements from the 1970 ‘s related to the interests and goals of the first wave feminism and the Women’s Liberation Movement. Advertisements from the 1990’s related to postfeminist discourses regarding sexual liberation and women's perception of self worth and empowerment. Whereas advertisements from the 2010’s incorporated broader messages regarding female empowerment and support that align with the purpose and definition of “femvertising”. Furthermore, discourses regarding girls participation and engagement in sports were identified in advertisements from the 1990’s and 2010’s. Symbols associated with traditionally masculine domains were found in advertisements from all decades in use of supporting women's participation in masculine areas. Contrasting or contradicting messages were also identified in advertisements from all decades which led to uncertainty about the dominating discourse in the picture. In conclusion, the most prominent change over time was the nature of the feminist messages in relation to the feminist and social context in which they were produced. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka på vilket sätt feministiska budskap inkorporeras och kommuniceras genom femvertisements från 1970-talet, 1990-talet och 2010-talet. Genom detta strävar vi efter att nå en fördjupad förståelse för hur feminism används i reklam samt hur dessa budskap har förändrats över tid. En teoretisk ram bestående av feministisk teori, genusteori, diskursteori och representationsteori tillämpades. Studien genomfördes genom en multimodal kritisk diskursanalys där nio reklambilder, tre från varje årtionde, analyserades. Syftet med analysen var att identifiera de symboler och visuella element i reklamerna som skapar mening och relaterar till feministiska diskurser. Resultatet av studien visade att femvertisements från 1970-talet, 1990-talet och 2010-talet formades av den feministiska och sociala kontext de producerades i. Reklam från 1970-talet kopplades till intressen och mål hos den första vågens feminism och Women's Liberation-rörelsen. Reklam från 1990-talet kopplades till postfeministiska diskurser om sexuell frigörelse och kvinnors uppfattning av självvärde och styrka. Vidare inkluderade reklam från 2010-talet bredare budskap om kvinnlig styrka och stöd som överensstämmer med syftet och definitionen av "femvertising". Dessutom identifierades diskurser om flickors deltagande och engagemang inom idrott i reklam från 1990-talet och 2010-talet. Symboler associerade med traditionellt maskulina domäner hittades i reklam från alla decennier som stöd för kvinnors deltagande inom maskulina områden. Kontrasterande och motstridiga budskap identifierades också i reklam från alla decennier, vilket ledde till osäkerhet kring den dominerande diskursen i bilden. Sammanfattningsvis var den mest framträdande förändringen över tid karaktären av de feministiska budskapen i relation till den feministiska och sociala kontext de producerades i.