Fiskmannen, Myten, Legenden : En studie om manliga sjöjungfrur ur ett genusperspektiv

Sammanfattning: This paper addresses the representation of the male equivalent of the mermaid - the merman - in illustrations. The paper relies on a theoretical framework of gender studies, queer theory, masculinity studies and previous studies of the mermaid including psychoanalysis and folkloric studies. The paper focuses on four different representations of the merman: The Pin-up, The Romantic Couple, The Fish Boy and The Elderly Merman. Each type is examined by their portrayal of gender, sexuality, masculinity, the gendered gazes in the picture and the intertextual relation to mermaid mythology, folklore and research. The paper concludes that the illustrations of the merman are shaped by a polarized gender norm. The different representations show a wide range of implicit looks, sexualities and various ways in how they relate to the mermaid myth. Some strategies implemented in the pictures imply that the male body still resists an objectified position. The sexualized merman follows the beauty ideals for the western man in mainstream media since the 1980’s where whiteness, muscles, youth and sensitivity are prioritized. The mermen that do not follow this ideal is pictured as frightening and/or asexual. All mermen have in common that they are feminized and exoticized due to their close connection to nature.