Media, makt och män
Vem bestämmer över kvinnokroppen?
KroppsuppfattningMaktSkönhetsidealGenusKvinnorMänGender studiesGenusvetenskapSociologySociologiSocial Sciences
With emphasis on women's magazines and men, this essay will revolve around the image of the ideal woman. Our purpose was to examine whether men have a distinct image regarding the appearance and behaviour of the ideal woman. Next step was to establish whether the women's magazines also presented a specific image to their readers.The answers were found through a qualitative study that included ten men, and through an extensive analysis by women's magazines. The result indicated that both the men questioned and the women's magazines presented a clear view of an ideal woman. The views held by the men, were then compared to the images presented by the women's magazines and were found to be very similar.We used Erving Goffmans sociological theory to describe the actual woman and the ideal images of women that the men questioned and the women's magazines presented. From this, we found that women are forced to play the role The woman men wants, Frontstage, a state where she has to mind her behaviour and appearance. According to the men and the women magazines, women should never be Backstage, a state where she is allowed to step out of her role and be herself. The only exception is during sexual activities. Only her beauty is essential, while her personality is ignored. Therefore, our conclusion is that the men, not the women, are the main benefactors from the way women's magazines portrait women.