“Confidence for every body”? : En studie av kvinnors mottagande av två kroppspositiva reklamfilmer från KappAhl och Lindex

Sammanfattning: In light of the recent trend of body positive advertisements, the question arises if they are having the positive outcome intended. The purpose of this study is to investigate how women create meaning in relation to two recently launched body positive commercials from KappAhl and Lindex. This is explored through studying how women experience and assess the selected ads, how they perceive body positive advertisements more generally, and how they experience their potential to change the perception of the ideal body in society. The primary material consisted of semi-structured interviews which were analyzed through Schrøder’s multidimensional model of media reception, objectification theory and commodity feminism. The main results showed that the reception of the body positive message is complex. Overall, the women had a predominantly positive attitude towards both the ads and body positive messages in general. Regarding the advertisements, the main critique concerned the authenticity of the message, where the women emphasized the importance of genuine and realistic portrayals of both the models and the scenarios in the ads. Body positive messages were generally perceived as creating identification and representation of diversity, as well as broadening the view of what is normal. A recurrent critique was that companies are exploiting a trend which led to the women questioning the companies’ intentions. Concerning the potential to change the perception of the ideal body, the conclusion is that it would be possible through long term exposure and more companies contributing to the change. This research provides insights regarding how distancing women from the negative effects of the thin ideal can contribute to strengthening their prosperity and empowering them.