This study aims to analyze and understand how the film Barbie (Gerwig, 2023) influences young people's perceptions of beauty ideals and body image. Through the analysis of body observation and beauty in the film Barbie, this research seeks to highlight how beauty ideals are portrayed in the film by young individuals. The purpose is also to identify and analyze if there is a perceived impact on self-esteem and identify any differences between genders. Using semi-structured interviews and analysis framed within sociocultural and gender theories, this research endeavors to comprehend young people's perceptions of the film Barbie. The age for participants in the study was determined to be 18-25 years and included both men and women, the number of participants was set at 10 individuals, five women and five men. The result showed that it is evident among the participants that the film portrays and questions traditional beauty ideals and gender roles in an exaggerated and satirical manner and that the film Barbie reflects societal beauty ideals and gender roles. Participants perceive that the beauty ideal in the film Barbie reflects both traditional and exaggerated beauty ideals for both men and women. Barbie and Ken represent the traditional beauty ideal - Barbie is described as slim and well-made-up with a symmetrical face, and Ken is perceived as well-toned and muscular. While some of the male participants do not feel directly affected by the beauty ideals portrayed in the film, the female participants demonstrate a negative impact on their self-esteem. It is also interesting to note that one of the male participants experienced a negative impact on his self-esteem and felt pressure to emulate the beauty ideals depicted in the film. In conclusion, there is a difference between genders regarding the film's impact on self-esteem, with women tending to be more negatively affected than men. However, the general impact does not seem to differ significantly between genders.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-130019 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Thelin, Beatrice, Abrahamsson, Siri |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för medier och journalistik (MJ) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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