Authors
Lana Gajger, Viktorija Car
Publication date
2020
Journal
Medijske studije
Volume
11
Issue
22
Pages
102-120
Publisher
Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Fakultet političkih znanosti
Description
In the 21st century, the feminist movement is experiencing a new upswing. This process is‏ particularly affected by the activity of female celebrities who promote and embody the idea of woman‏ emancipation. The main goal of this paper is to identify the ways in which female perfume commercials‏ present emancipation as desirable. By means of narrative analysis and the qualitative research method,‏ we analysed five perfume commercials featuring female celebrities as their main protagonists. The‏ common characteristics shared by all the protagonists in the analysed commercials is their determination‏ and a pronounced sense of self-awareness and insurgence. They are extroverted, assertive, and prone‏ to seeking excitement, competent and success-oriented. Their desirability is simultaneously determined‏ by masculine behaviour, feminine aesthetics, the rejection of gender norms (with the exception of the‏ slimness ideal), dominant behaviour when interacting with men, and the focus towards the future. The‏ behaviour of female protagonists almost completely matches the characteristics of the postfeminist‏ understanding of femininity and supports the fundamental determinant of feminism–the idea of‏ emancipation.‏