Femininity image in popular media has been a focus of interest among many scholars so far, particularly because of its possible impact on girls’ and women’s perception of self. This research offers a multilayered analysis of femininity image in popular women’s media in Austria and Croatia (2013/2014). CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis) is used to describe femininity representations concerning their positioning towards themselves and the others. Discourses identified in the sample are various matching the post-feminist complexity of female identity. Analysis of women’s magazines included issues of Cosmopolitan, Elle, Woman and Ljepota & Zdravlje in a six months period. Some of identified femininity discourses are repeating across different topics like self-testing, individuality & pleasing yourself, self-help and make-over strategies. Analysis of music videos included yearly top 10 charts in Croatia and Austria. Results showed that the most frequent discourses appearing in the videos revolve around sexual (self-) objectification, victimization and emotional vulnerability. Analysis of movie trailers included top 10 most watched movies in 2013. Female roles appearing in the trailers are mostly wives, girlfriends, daughters and sisters, but there are some examples where their primary role is defined through their professional occupation. Most frequent discourses found in the video and audio material revolve around the conflict between powerful & determined women vs. dependent & fearful woman.
Femininity image in popular media
The cases of Austria and Croatia