‘We are not the same, sis’ : A qualitative study of the negotiation of femininity in online spaces

• Main Author: Petkova, Preslava
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Malmö universitet, Institutionen för konst, kultur och kommunikation (K3) 2021
• Subjects: #NotLikeTheOtherGirls; internalized misogyny; post-feminism; gender stereotypes; thematic analysis; Media Studies; Medievetenskap
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-44217

The thesis examines how the logic of misogyny and post-feminism has perpetuated the negotiations of femininity in digital environments. Employing thematic analysis, the study explores online depictions of the phenomenon Not Like the Other Girls in order to explain its relation to internalized misogyny. The data has been formed as a case study of Instagram #Notliketheothergirls and Reddit - r/notliketheothergirls. The result of the analysis unveiled the expression of traditional notions of femininity and post-feminist ideas and be found, resulting in a paradoxical idea of femininity. Moreover, the method has developed three central themes repeated within the data around the phenomenon of Not Like the Other Girls. Their significance spurs on the opposition between the patriarchal and post-feminist ideal of woman and discovers a new term - internal dichotomies. The constant comparison throughout the paper requires analysis of the role of ‘the other’. As findings claim, it is an essential part of finding one’s position and developing a sense of belonging. The overall findings conclude that internalized misogyny can be explained as the driving power of phenomena such NLOGs. However, further research should focus on the age aspect of women protagonists of internalized misogyny, engaging in the negotiations of femininity.