Consumers and the society as a whole are increasingly demanding companies to take their social responsibility and work actively for gender equality. Companies have therefore begun to use feminist messages in their advertising, also known as femvertising. Femvertising canbe described as advertising that strives to challenge norms about gender roles and body ideals, as well as empower women to achieve gender equality. If companies are not perceivedas genuine in their femvertising and use feminist messages to increase their sales, this can be classified as femwashing. The aim of this study is to examine young adults’ attitude towards femvertising and femwashing. Thus, young adults’ general attitude, the correlation between attitude towards femvertising and femwashing, and also which factors that can affect young adults’ attitude are investigated. Based on previous research, seven hypotheses were formulated. The data collection method for this study was a quantitative digital survey. There sult shows that young adults generally have a positive attitude towards femvertising and a negative attitude towards femwashing. The correlation between attitude towards femvertising and femwashing can be considered as strong. Gender, political opinion and identification as a feminist or not are factors that can influence young adults’ attitude towards femvertising and femwashing. Specifically, women, left-wing sympathizers and feminists tend to be more positive towards femvertising and more negative towards femwashing, compared to men, right-wing sympathizers and non-feminists. The result also shows that women are more positive to femvertising and more negative to femwashing because they tend to be both feminists and left-wing sympathizers to a greater extent than men. Based on theory about gender in the media, postfeminism and advertising, the result is analyzed and discussed. / Konsumenter och samhället i stort ställer allt högre krav på att företag ska ta sitt sociala ansvar och aktivt arbeta för jämställdhet. Företag har därmed börjat använda feministiska budskap i sin marknadsföring, även känt som femvertising. Femvertising är marknadsföring som strävar efter att utmana normer kring könsroller och kroppsideal samt stärka kvinnor för att uppnå jämställdhet. Om företag inte upplevs genuina i sin femvertising och istället utnyttjar feministiska budskap för att öka sin försäljning, kan detta klassas som femwashing. Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga unga vuxnas attityd till femvertising och femwashing. Därmed undersöks unga vuxnas generella attityd, sambandet mellan attityd till femvertising och femwashing samt vilka faktorer som kan påverka unga vuxnas attityd. Baserat på tidigare forskning utformades sju hypoteser. Datainsamlingsmetoden för studien var en kvantitativ digital enkät. Resultatet visar att unga vuxna generellt har en positiv attityd till femvertising och en negativ attityd till femwashing. Sambandet mellan attityd till femvertising och femwashing kan konstateras vara starkt. Kön, politisk åskådning och identifiering som feminist eller ej är faktorer som kan påverka unga vuxnas attityd till femvertising och femwashing. Specifikt tenderar kvinnor, vänstersympatisörer och feministeratt vara mer positiva till femvertising samt mer negativa till femwashing, i jämförelse med män, högersympatisörer och icke-feminister. Resultatet visar även att kvinnor är mer positivatill femvertising och mer negativa till femwashing på grund av att de tenderar att vara både feminister och vänstersympatisörer i större utsträckning än män. Utifrån teori om kön i media, postfeminism samt marknadsföring analyseras och diskuteras resultatet.

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of the contemporary ‘Medusa tattoo’ that gained traction on the social media platform TikTok in 2019 as a symbol of sexual assault survival, and which has since come to function as an instrument for digital feminist activism. The study aspires to provide a new, previously unexplored link to the long chain of academic research on the figure of Medusa by looking at the emergence, function, and potential of the Medusa tattoo. It makes use of multimodal discourse analysis followed by the application of a select number of theoretical frameworks by Hans Belting, Michael Baxandall, Roland Barthes, and Hélène Cixous. It is observed that historical representations of Medusa tend to draw upon her dualistic, transformative nature of beauty-monster, threat-victim, and powerful-powerless, in accordance with dominant thoughts and ideologies. The contemporary Medusa tattoo is identified as being comprised of a tripartite structure with three carrier mediums: the tattooed body, tattoo designs, and TikTok videos found under the hashtag #medusatattoo, all capable of acting both independently and intermediary. This form is a result of a decades-long process of thought influenced by various appearing and re-appearing factors, conditions, and agents. The thesis further identifies the ways that the Medusa tattoo functions as myth in accordance with the writings of Roland Barthes, its meaning becoming fixed through acts of repetition on social media. Lastly, it is concluded that while tattoos can act in accordance with Hélène Cixous’ concept of écriture féminine, the contemporary Medusa tattoo cannot, due to its iconography demonstrating postfeminist attitudes towards beauty and femininity that enforce instead of challenge patriarchal structures. However, it is noted that it retains its potential as a symbol of strength and healing on the individual wearer. / Denna uppsats undersöker fenomenet av den samtida ‘Medusatatueringen’ som 2019 uppmärksammades på den sociala mediaplattformen TikTok som en symbol för överlevnad av sexuella övergrepp och vilken därefter har fungerat som ett verktyg för digital feministisk aktivism. Studien strävar efter att bidra med en ny, tidigare outforskad länk till den långa kedjan av akademisk forskning om Medusa vilket sker genom analyserandet av Medusatatueringens uppkomst, funktion och potential. Undersökningen använder sig av multimodal diskursanalys som följs av tillämpningen av ett utvalt antal teoretiska ramverk av Hans Belting, Michael Baxandall, Roland Barthes och Hélène Cixous. Det observeras att historiska representationer av Medusa tenderar att spegla hennes dualistiska, transformativa natur av skönhet-monster, hot-offer och kraftull-maktlös i enlighet med dominanta tankeföreställningar och ideologier. Den samtida Medusatatueringen omfattar en tredelad struktur med bärare som kan agera både självständigt och som mellanhänder: den tatuerade kroppen, tatueringsdesigner och TikTok-videor under hashtaggen #medusatattoo. Formen är ett result av en decennier lång tankeprocess som påverkats av ett flertal nya samt återkommande faktorer, villkor och agenter. Uppsatsen identifierar vidare hur Medusatatueringen fungerar som myt i enlighet med Roland Barthes, då dess innebörd fastställs och naturaliseras genom repetitiva handlingar på sociala medier. Slutligen dras slutsatsen att trots att tatueringar kan agera i enlighet med Hélène Cixous koncept écriture féminine så besitter inte den samtida Medusatatueringen samma förmåga då dess ikonografi reflekterar postfeministiska attityder till skönhet och femininitet vilka upprätthåller snarare än utmanar patriarkala strukturer. Det noteras dock att den bibehåller potentialen att agera styrkande och helande på individen.

Syftet med föreliggande alster var att undersöka huruvida utvecklingen av hur kvinnor exponeras i kommersiella sammanhang går hand i hand med postfeminism eller inte, och om det i sådana fall bidrar till att det fortfarande skapas kommersiellt innehåll utifrån den manliga blicken. Materialet som låg till grund för detta arbete var en av flera bilder från Bianca Ingrossos företag, CAIA Cosmetics, läppstifts reklamkampanj från år 2019. Metoden utgjordes, i grunden, av en semiotisk bildanalys, men med en sociosemiotisk dito som spets. Båda metoderna har likheter och har komponenter som går in i varandra, varpå båda, med utgångspunkt i en kvalitativ analys, spelade roller för mitt resultat. Analysen utfördes med följande forskningsfråga som grund: Hur förhåller sig postfeministisk teori och kommodifierad feminism till aktuell bild ur ett sociosemiotiskt perspektiv? Genom detta arbetes huvudteorier postfeminism, kommodifierad feminism och the male gaze – den manliga blicken – analyserades det valda materialet med kopplingar till pornografiskt bildspråk. Utfallet blev dubbeltydigt då kvinnan i bilden, utifrån applicering utav presenterad teori, både kunde ses som ett passivt objekt men även som ett aktivt subjekt. Makten i vald bild kunde alltså ses både som en kraft utifrån den postfeministiska individualismen samtidigt som det också kan tolkas som ännu ett fall av objektifiering av kvinnor i reklam. / The purpose with this essay was to examine whether or not the development of the exposure of women in commercial contexts correlates with postfeminism, and in such case, whether it contributes to the ongoing production of commercial content based on the theory of the male gaze. The fundamental material of this work was one of several images from Bianca Ingrosso's company, CAIA Cosmetics, lipstick advertising campaign from 2019. The method was, basically, a semiotic image analysis, but with an extending, socio-semiotic ditto as a complement. Both methods have similarities and have components that go into each other, which made both of them, based on a qualitative analysis, play important roles for the final results. The analysis was carried out based on the following research question: How does postfeministic theory and commodified feminism relate to the chosen image from a socio-semiotic perspective? Through the main theories of postfeminism, commodified feminism and the theory of the male gaze, the chosen material was analyzed with links to, and in comparison, with, pornographic imagery. The outcome was ambiguous as the woman in the image, based on the application of presented theories, could be seen both as a passive object but also as an active subject. The power in the chosen image could thus be seen both as a feminin force based on postfeminist individualism, while it, at the same time, also can be interpreted as yet another case of objectification of women in commercial advertising.

Branding exists at the intersection of culture and economics and is an increasingly important tool in distinguishing commodities. Over the past few years, more and more companies have started to use discourses of female empowerment, celebrating femininity, womanhood, and all things “girly” to sell their products - spiking sales, racking up millions of online views, and starting important conversations in the process. Procter & Gamble's “Like A Girl” campaign for Always creates a productive tension and way of thinking about both brand and buyer. The “Like A Girl” campaign is unique because it presents a feminist message to and about younger girls, a group that is often left out of broader discussions of feminism, and it creates a space for support, identification, and critical engagement with essentializations of the female body.

This article applies methods of semiotic analysis to representations and understandings of female sexuality in fashion advertising. Through the framework of Paolo Freire’s Action Learning model, also known as the “empowerment spiral”, it is concluded that advertisements dealing in overt sexualization's of traditional conceptions of femininity produces a one-sided discourse in femininity in which the decoding of media images is oversimplified through a binary approach. In effect, this produces conflicts detrimental to feminist progress by virtue of ostrisizing postfeminist appreciations of sexual empowerment.

This study on feminism is a study aimed at understanding a reality within feminism (suburban feminism) in the suburbs of Gothenburg and the underlying factors that contribute to the emergence of this new phenomenon, and why women in the suburbs relate to as an alternative social tool in the quest for better social standings. The research was focused on the 2 major issues and they were (1) the effect of intersectionality on feminism in the suburbs and (2), the effect of internal factors like culture and religion on feminism in the suburbs. Intersectional analysis in my study partly explained the emergence of this new phenomenon (suburban feminism) as a reality within feminism. Cultural shock experienced by the immigrant women when they come Sweden explained also the relevance of cultural polarisation as a factor in the emergence of suburban feminism. The research was done through the qualitative research methods among the immigrant populations living in the suburbs of Gothenburg. The primary research material was the respondent’s experiences and answers to a variety of questions. With the help of several respondents and earlier research done on feminism in the suburbs shows how suburban feminism as a phenomenon emerges and takes shape among the immigrant populations and how this kind of feminism emerges out of the daily challenges ranging from intersectionality, socio-economic setups and several other aspects the respondents refer to as cultural shock between different cultures that have converged in the suburbs. In general, suburban feminism is a phenomenon that emerged out of several factors that range most of them intended for the furtherance and empowerment of women in all spheres of life. The respondent’s answers to the questions fielded in this study together with the earlier research done on feminism and equality in Sweden formed the bedrock on which the study is anchored on. Suburban feminism in my study is a product of social construction different from feminism anchored on theories and this becomes more evident from the answers of my respondents in their understanding of feminism.

abstract: The term “female sportscaster” elicits a broad range of feelings among the sports media consumer base. Many of the women who fall into the category of “female sportscaster” appear to be greatly admired while many others evoke considerable scorn, making the electronic sports media industry a seemingly dangerous and often vitriolic environment for women. The gendered mistreatment of women sportscasters is not unfamiliar to sports media scholars. Indeed, phenomena such as sex biases, double standards, and harassment have been documented, primarily through positivistic or quantitative research. What has not been investigated, however, is how these phenomena persist and evolve despite the extant research. This dissertation employs Michel Foucault’s power/knowledge paradigm to take a discursive analytic approach to understand how the “female sportscaster” subjectivity, or imagined idea, is constructed through statements, images, and practices. That is, this dissertation investigates the way society “talks about” the “female sportscaster” and how those discussions affect the experiences of women sportscasters. Using one-on-one interviews with 10 women sportscasters, focus groups with sports media consumers, netnography, and textual analysis under the umbrella of a feminist methodological approach, this dissertation finds that the American female subjectivity is constructed through postfeminist and neoliberal discourses. These discourses “empower” women sportscasters to be responsible for their own success but, in doing so, normalize the obstacles women in sportscasting endure. As a result of this normalization, the electronic sports media industry is seemingly justified in taking little to no meaningful action toward improving conditions for women sportscasters. Specific manifestations of these discourses are traced across phenomena such as double standards, bias in hiring and development, harassment, and the expectation of affective labor. Suggestions are made for improving conditions for women sportscasters. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Journalism and Mass Communication 2018

This thesis examined bodied activism in Chicago's Slutwalk 2012 march, a contemporary movement initiated in Toronto, Canada that publicly challenged the mainstream sentiment that women are responsible for their own rape and victimization. Adopting an intersectional approach, I used textual analysis to discuss photographs posted on the official Chicago Slutwalk website to explore the ways this form of public bodied protest discursively engages women's empowerment from movement feminism as well as third wave and postfeminisms. I additionally analyzed the overall website and its promotional materials for the Slutwalk marches as well as how Chicago's photographic representations privilege the white female body as victim, demonstrating how the reclamation "slut" privileges whiteness. The website depictions normalize how one should react to a system of violence which provides negative implications for women and men who are situated in a postfeminist rape culture. Positioning my analysis within Communication/Cultural Studies and Women's and Gender studies, I contributed to the literature about rape culture and postfeminist activism through my analysis of Slutwalk. By employing intersectionality from feminist theory and textual analysis, I demonstrated how Slutwalk's promotion of bodied activism naturalized postfeminism and excludes Black women from participating.

<p>Denna uppsats syftar till att kvalitativt undersöka hur kvinnor porträtteras i fem</p><p>utvalda avsnitt av The Hills (MTV), med fokus på deras beteende och uppträdande i</p><p>frågor som karriär, utseende och relationer till män. Detta undersöks med hjälp av ett</p><p>analysschema som har utformats utifrån Keith Selbys och Ron Cowderys</p><p>analysmodell för att studera television.</p><p> </p><p>Undersökningen vilar på en genusteoretisk grund och teorier som används är bland</p><p>annat R.W. Connells hegemoniska maskulinitet, Yvonne Hirdmans genuskontrakt,</p><p>Laura Mulveys ”the male gaze” och en vidare utveckling av Foucaults teori om ”the</p><p>panopticon”. Detta kompletteras med forskning av bland annat Rosalind Gill, Angela</p><p>McRobbie och Hillevi Ganetz.</p><p> </p><p>I min analys framkommer att det förekommer väldigt få skildringar av kvinnor vars</p><p>beteende utmanar en traditionell syn på kvinnligt uppförande. Vidare betonas</p><p>kvinnors utseende starkt och karaktärerna visar ett flertal gånger fokus på äktenskap.</p><p>Sammantaget leder analysen fram till en slutsats att kvinnor i The Hills inom samtliga</p><p>undersökta områden till stor del skildras på ett sätt som befäster en stereotyp</p><p>genusstruktur.</p>

This study is a content analysis of ten chick lit books, a genre of women’s fiction. Books were analyzed for five postfeminist characteristics as defined by Susan Faludi’s backlash theory, outlined in Backlash: The Undeclared War Against Women and in further research on popular culture’s notions of womanhood: 1) negative reaction to second wave feminism, 2) focus on the individual instead of a collective sisterhood, 3) desire for more traditional femininity through domesticity, consumerism, romance, and motherhood, 4) female identity crisis causing fears of a man shortage, a loudly ticking biological clock, and career burnout, and 5) feelings of anxiety over ability to make the correct future decisions. Analysis has found that chick lit does generally reinforce the notions of postfeminism/backlash, however the characters displayed anxiety over how to incorporate feminine paths into their lives and generally disregard motherhood.