The thought behind this bachelor essay regarding gender and rhetorical feminist criticism developed years ago out of the fact that I read just a little too many dirty chick lit-pockets as a teen. Those chick lit-pockets were my first introduction to sex, to gender roles, to how men and women react and are supposed to react to each other and, in some sense, even to feminism. Those chick lit-pockets, later turning into hardcore Harlequin-books, became my benchmark when I started to contemplate the fact that this is a man’s world, produced and reproduced by a male gaze which influences everything from sex, porn, advertising, gender roles, jobs and payment to dirty pockets for teenage girls. The essays aims to show how the male gaze-phenomenon could be to use for the rhetoric discipline: first combined with other rhetorical theories as a way to analyze and understand gender and objectification. The main question asked; How to put the male gaze on a rhetorical leash? This bachelor essay consists of a qualitative literature study focusing on four articles and one book in which five different male gaze-perspective appears. Every article presented will be followed by an explicative chapter in which the articles, specific male gaze- perspective will be combined with relevant rhetorical theories and applied to pop cultural example cases in order to demonstrate its academic potential. The conclusion of this essay establishes that the rhetorical discipline indeed could have great use of the male gaze-perspective while analyzing different kinds of artifacts, if combined with different kinds of methods. It confirms that it is possible to put the male gaze on a rhetorical leash and explains five specific ways to do so.

Female and male managers in crisis - A qualitative study of how daily and evening newspapers produce female and male managers in crisis The purpose of this studie was to investigate how female and male managers are produced in daily and evening newspapers. The newspapers that has been used in this study is Dagens Nyheter, as a representation for daily newspapers, and Aftonbladet, as an representation for evening tabloids. To answer the purpose three issues has been formulated: what are the female and male managers importance in emergency situations in the articles? How are power attributed to women and men in the articles? What similarities and differences are there between the representations from Dagens Nyheter and Aftonbladet? The theories that has been used in this studie are mainly gender theory, critical discourse analysis (CDA). The results of the analysis showed that female managers in subjectivily presented articles reports are produced in a more negative way than male managers. Further could the male managers be interpreted to be attributed more power in the articles than the female managers.

Diss. Uppsala : Univ., 2003.

Forskning visar på en lång historia av sexualisering och objektifiering av kvinnor i reklam. Vad forskning inte fokuserat på är sexualiserat våld i reklambilder. Den här studien är en sammanfogning av forskningsfälten genus och våld i reklam. Vad studien vill ta reda på är om sexualiserat våld används vid framställningen av kvinnor i reklambilderna samt den manliga blickens perspektiv. Studien använder sig av kvalitativ semiotisk analys för att undersöka om sexualiserat våld existerar i sex stycken reklambilder från tre stora modeföretag. Reklambilderna är från Calvin Klein, Diesel och Tom Ford 2016 och 2017. Det teoretiska ramverk för analysen är Hirdmans, med fleras, genusteori, Ekman och Mulveys den manliga blicken samt semiotik i form av Barthes fyra nyckelpunkter för konnotation och Goffmans kategorier om framställning av genus i reklam. Analysen visar slutsatser på att kvinnor objektifieras och sexualiseras i reklambilder och framställs som sexobjekt. Denna sexualisering och objektifiering mynnar ut i tecken på att sexualiserat våld normaliseras i samhället. / Research shows a long history of sexualization and objectification of women in advertising. What research has not focused on is sexualized violence in commercials. This study is a merger of the research fields gender and violence in advertising. The study wants to find out if sexualized violence is used in the portrayal of women in the advertising and the male gaze perspective. The study uses qualitative semiotic analysis to investigate if sexualized violence occurs in six commercials from three major fashion companies. The commercials are from Calvin Klein, Diesel and Tom Ford 2016 and 2017. The theoretical framework for the analysis is Hirdman’s, among others, gender theory, Ekman and Mulvey’s the male gaze and semiotics in the form of Barthes’ four key points for connotation and Goffman’s categories for gender advertisement. The analysis shows that women are objectified and sexualized in commercials and are illustrated as sex objects. This sexualization and objectification results in signs that sexualized violence is normalized in society.

In Sweden, male pedagogues in preschools make up only 3,5% of the employees. Since they are a minority, do they experience themselves as being positioned peculiarly by the female staff? The preschool curriculum says that the adults should be role models for gender equality and neutralize traditional gender roles, but if a shelf needs to be hung up or heavy items need to be lifted, who will be asked to do those tasks? The purpose of this thesis was to examine how male pedagogues in the study are being positioned in a female-dominated occupation. Which subject positions appear, and how do they appear, from the informants’ descriptions of their occupation? We wanted to find out how male pedagogues describe their work practice according to which masculinity norms appear. The study was made through interviews with seven male pedagogues working in three different preschools. The theories we used to analyze the material was Raewyn Connell and Rebecca Pearse’s perspective on gender and Connell’s masculinities and Marianne Winther Jörgensen and Louise Phillips interpretation on Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s discourse theory. The result of the study was that depending on how men are being positioned we can find different answers. When they position themselves as “preschool pedagogues” they claim that men and women work equally, whilst when they position themselves as “men” they describe how they are being expected to do tasks that are masculinely coded. Some informants are being expected to perform like a supply father and role model. Thus, some of the male pedagogues perceive the preschool as a practice where traditional gender roles are being reproduced.

Problembakgrund: På ledande positioner inom företag består majoriteten av män, trots att flera studier påvisat att kvinnor har utmärkande egenskaper för ett ledarskap som passar i moderna företag. På grund av normer som lever kvar i samhället har kvinnor inte heller samma karriärmöjligheter som män. Inom svensk detaljhandel utgör kvinnor dock en större majoritet än män på de så kallade mellanchefspositionerna, jämfört med andra branscher. Därmed är det intressant att undersöka om medarbetares förväntningar på sin ledares beteende kan förklara orsakerna till den ojämna fördelningen mellan manliga och kvinnliga chefer. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att skapa förståelse för vilka förväntningar medarbetare har på ledare inom detaljhandeln samt om förväntningarna skiljer sig beroende på om ledaren är man eller kvinna. Detta för att kunna förstå vad det är som bidrar till att fler män än kvinnor finns på ledande positioner och om förväntningarna har någon koppling till de normer som finns om ledarskap. Metod: Studien baseras på en kvalitativ intervjustudie där data samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju medarbetare inom olika butiker i svensk detaljhandel. Det empiriska dataunderlaget är uppdelat i två delar kopplat till forskningsfrågorna. Den första delen handlar om medarbetarnas förväntningar på sina ledare medan den andra delen behandlar förväntningar på män och kvinnor som ledare. Resultat: Analysen visar att medarbetare inom svensk detaljhandel förväntar sig ledare som är kommunikativa, relationsorienterade, delaktiga och uppmuntrar till utveckling, vilket överensstämmer med tidigare studier. Normer för hur män respektive kvinnor förväntas bete sig skiljer sig åt genom manliga och kvinnliga könsroller. Däremot har medarbetarna egna erfarenheter av chefer som motbevisar normerna och talar för att män och kvinnor inte beter sig på olika sett på grund av sitt kön. / Background and problem: At leading positions within companies the majority are men, although several studies have shown that women have distinctive qualities for leadership that suits modern businesses. However, due to norms that remain in society, women do not have the same career opportunities as men. However, in Swedish retail, women represent a larger majority than men in the so-called mid-range positions, compared with other industries. Thus, it is interesting to investigate whether employees expectations on the behaviour of their leaders can explain the causes of the uneven distribution between male and female executives. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to provide an understanding of the expectations of employees in the retail sector and whether the expectations differ depending on whether the manager is male or female. This in order to create a greater understanding about why there are more men having leader positions compared to women and if expectations has any connection to norms about leadership. Method: The study is based on qualitative interviews where data was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven employees in various stores in the Swedish retail sector. The empirical data is divided into two parts linked to the research questions. The first part is about employee expectations of his leader while the other part deals with expectations of men and women. Results: The analysis shows that employees in Swedish retail sector expect leaders who are communicative, relationship-oriented, involved and encourage development, which is consistent with previous studies. Norms for how men and women are expected to behave are different through the male and female gender roles. On the other hand, employees have their own experiences that counteract the norms and prove that men and women do not behave differently because of their gender.

The purpose of this study was to examine which kind of expressions of the woman that were present in the selected advertising images and how they could affect how women are represented. A qualitative content analysis was conducted. The six most liked CAIA Cosmetics Instagram posts from their lipstick campaign in 2019 were chosen and analysed. The study used a denotative and connotative analysis of the pictures. In conclusion this study showed that the analysed pictures contained a sexualised, objectified, and stereotypic way of portraying women. We found expressions that showed that looks were more important than skills and that the woman’s place was at home being good-looking. We also found the expression of that the pictures sold the feeling of desire. The desire was built on a narcissistic notion of selfimprovement and an illusion of that acquiring a product will make you beautiful, sexy, successful, and thereby desirable.

Våld i nära relationer är ett omdiskuterat och välkänt samhällsproblem. Ofta handlar dialogen om mäns våld mot kvinnor och det talas sällan om att en man utsätts för våld av en kvinnlig partner. Syfte: Syftet med examensarbetet var att beskriva mäns erfarenheter av att vara utsatta för våld av en kvinnlig partner i en nära relation. Metod: En litteraturöversikt gjordes där fem kvalitativa och tre kvantitativa artiklar inkluderades. Databaserna som användes var CINAHL, PsycInfo och PsycArticles. Dataanalysen utgick från en trestegsmodell och samtliga artiklar granskades genom en kvalitetsgranskningsmall. Resultat: Under analysen framkom huvudkategorierna "Erfarenheter och konsekvenser av våldet", med subkategorier "Fysiskavåldshandlingar", "Psykiska våldshandlingar", "Hälsoeffekter" och "Sociala effekter", "Omgivningens dubbelhet" med subkategorier "Myndigheters bemötande" och "Närståendes förhållningssätt" samt huvudkategorin "Kvinnans makt och kontroll". Resultatet visar att män upplever både fysiskt, psykiskt och sexuellt våld från en kvinnlig partner i en nära relation. Det framkommer även att underliggande genusnormer och stereotypiska antaganden hindrar män frånatt betraktas som egentliga offer. Konklusion: Mäns utsatthet för våld i en nära relation är enkomplex problematik som är starkt förknippad med samhällets normer och antaganden ommaskulinitet. Professionella brister i sitt bemötande av våldsutsatta män vilket kan få stora konsekvenser för mannen. För att få mer kunskap och bättre förståelse för mäns utsatthet av våld i en nära relation behöver problemet synliggöras ytterligare och diskuteras på både individ- och samhällsnivå. Praktiska implikationer: Adekvat utbildning kan bidra till att professionella får rätt verktyg för att bemöta våldsutsatta män vilket kan leda till en minskad utsatthet och ökad hälsa hos utsatta män. Examensarbetet kan bidra till att förbättra det preventiva arbetet inom till exempel hälso- och sjukvård och socialtjänst för att förhindra att män faller offer för våld, då dessa myndigheter ofta har en betydande roll i att upptäcka våldet. Förslag till fortsatt kunskapsutveckling: Ytterligare forskning krävs kring mäns utsatthet för våld i nära heterosexuella relationer för att bryta stigmatiseringen kring utsattheten och bidra med kunskap till professionella inom människobehandlande yrken som möter dessa män. / Domestic violence is a debated and well-known social problem. Often, the dialogue is about men's violence against women and it is rarely mentioned that a man is subjected to violence by a female partner. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe men's experiences of being subjected to violence by a female partner in an intimate relationship. Method: A literature review was conducted which included five qualitative and three quantitative articles. The databases used were CINAHL, PsycInfo and PsycArticles. The data analysis was based on a three-step model and all articles were reviewed through a quality assessment template. Findings: During the analysis one main category that emerged was "Experiences and consequences caused by violence", with the sub categories "Physical acts of violence", "Psychological acts of violence", "Health effects" and "Social effects", another main category was "The ambiguity of the environment " with sub categories "The response of authorities " and "The approach of relatives" and the last main category was "The woman's power and control". The results show that men experience both physical, mental and sexual violence from a female partner in an intimate relationship. It also appears in the study's findings that underlying gender-based normsand stereotypical assumptions prevent men from being considered as actual victims. Conclusion: Men's exposure to violence in an intimate relationship is a complex problem that is strongly associated with society's norms and assumptions about masculinity. Professional shortcomings in the treatment of abused men can have major consequences for the man. In order to gain more knowledge and a better understanding of men's exposure to violence in an intimate relationship, the problem needs to be further visualized and discussed at both individual and societal levels. Practical implications: Adequate education can help professionals get the right tools to deal with abused men, which can lead to reduced vulnerability and increased health of abused men. The study can help to improve preventive work in, for example, health care and social services to prevent men from falling victim to violence, as these authorities often have a significant role indetecting violence. Suggestions for continued knowledge development: Further research is required on men's exposure to violence in intimate heterosexual relationships to break the stigma around the exposure of violence and to contribute with knowledge to professionals in the humantreatment professions who encounter these men.

In previous studies, male sex buyers have been interviewed about their motives for buyingsex. Desire for power, control, realization of fantasies and the desire for mutual closenesshave been stated as driving forces. How these ideas are expressed in their proper context, inthe relationship with women in prostitution, seems to be largely lacking in research. Thepurpose of this study is to explore how heterosexual male sex buyers in Sweden communicatewith women in prostitution via chats published on the Instagram page #shittorskarsays3.0.How do they present themselves? What strategies do they use to get what they want? How dothey legitimize their actions for themselves? Using the perspective Response BasedApproach, the theory of hegemonic masculinity and the concept of space and thematicmethod, this study shows the following conclusions: Men present themselves according todifferent masculinity ideals such as aggression, control, power, virility and ideas about how agood man should be. The strategies men use to get their way are manipulation, threats andmental degradation. To legitimize their actions, they project their thoughts on the woman, askif she is doing it by free will and then choose not to listen to the answer.

Denna kvalitativa studie undersöker porträtteringen av den normativa kvinnokroppen på plattformen Instagram till följd av trenden kroppspositivism. Syftet med vår studie är att genom en semiotisk bildanalys, undersöka huruvida två klädföretag följer trenden kroppspositivism i sina samarbeten med influencers på Instagram. Studien ämnar även till att undersöka huruvida de två företagen följer sina slagord om att bryta ny mark och vara tillgängliga för alla kvinnliga kroppsformer. Studiematerialet är hämtat från Instagram och influencerna som är valda för studiens analys är hämtade från Na-kd och Boohoos hemsidor. Analysen utförs med hjälp av semiotik, vilket både är en teori och metod där verktygen denotation och konnotation har använts. Med hjälp av en forskningsöversikt om olika kroppsideal och teoretiska ramverk som social jämförelse och The Male Gaze har analysen delats in i tre teman; kroppstyp, posering och digital redigering av kvinnokroppen. Studiens resultat påvisar ett smalhetsideal där de influencers som undersökts i analysen ingår i normen. Kvinnokropparna kunde till viss del skilja sig åt men kvinnorna gestaltade fortfarande ett smalhetsideal, vilket tyder på att varken företaget Na-kd eller Boohoo har anammat kroppspositivismen utifrån sina val av influencers på Instagram. Resultatet visade även att klädföretagen inte följde sina slagord om att vara normbrytande och tillgängliga för alla kvinnor. / This qualitative study examines the portrayal of the normative woman’s body on Instagram and how the trend of body positivism is followed on that platform. The purpose of our study is, through semiotic image analysis, to investigate whether two fashion companies’ follow the trend of body positivism in their collaborations with influencers on Instagram. The study also intends to investigate how the two companies follow their slogans of being norm-breaking and accessible for all female body types. The study material is collected from Instagram and the influencers selected for this study are selected from Na-kd and Boohoo’s websites. The analysis is performed using semiology, which is both a theory and a method where the tools denotation and connotation have been used. With the help of a research overview on different body ideals and theoretical frameworks such as social comparison and The Male Gaze, the analysis has been divided into three themes; body type, posing and digital editing of the female body.  The study’s results show a narrow ideal where the investigated influencers of the analysis are included in the norm. The women’s bodies could differ to some extent, but they all embodied a narrow-minded ideal, which indicates that neither Na-kd nor Boohoo has embraced body positivism based on their choice of influencers on Instagram. The results also showed that none of the fashion companies followed their slogans about being norm-breaking and accessible to all women.