I Could Visit Her Blog Just Because She’s so Stupid : A Study of how Gendered Norms and Discourses Surrounding Girls’ Blogging Habits are Created and how the Girls’ Negotiate Around Them

General introduction This publication is the end product of the Invisible Girl project, an international, Swedish­based and multi­disciplinary research project in which the interplay of power relations, gender, and age was the primary object of study. The project was global in its scope and included researchers and artists from Australia, Canada, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Estonia, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Serbia, South Africa, Sweden and The UK. The name of the project is inspired by Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man from 1952. Just like Ellison portrays black Americans as being socially invisible, it is possible to view girls as invisible in the sense that their actions and competences cannot be adequately described with the existing male­normative terminology. Is she made socially and linguistically invisible and not seen as a real person? Another inspiration is the philosophy behind Magritte’s (1929) painting “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” [This is not a pipe], often interpreted as pointing out that the painting is not a pipe but an image of a pipe. The same metaphor illuminates the philosophical essence of the Invisible Girl. When we talk about blogging girls, gamer girls, helpless girls, out­of­control­on­the­internet girls, girls as foolish innocents who invite sexual predation is this girls’ reality or images of it? Are girls hidden in the notion of the gendered “Other”, in the general idea of a girl category?This body of work forms a counter story including the voice of marginalized groups with the explicit aim to challenge privileged discourses. From a normcritical perspective the aim is to question accepted worldviews or implicit agreements about girls, how they are mediated by i.e. images, movies and stories, which produce sexist stereotypes, at different societal levels. Stories, which contradict and present the world from different perspectives, are important for exposing stereotyping practices and how they are developed. The overarching research approach of the Invisible Girl Project is critical and derives from the tension between common notions about girlhood, girls’ own experiences and contemporary research. We suggest that the understanding of the concepts ‘girls’ and ‘girlhood’ are socially constructed and that their associated meanings are continually shaped and re­shaped by social actors in particular situations. Certain historical, social, political, cultural, economic, ethnic, religious and gender values may also inform these meanings. Approaching the invisible girl as a verb rather as a noun this publication may be seen as an exploration of contemporary conditions for how girls become girls and form girl identities. We do not aspire to present a generalized image of The Girl. Providing examples of how to become a girl is an individual experience but also a global phenomenon, the contributions to our publication offer important aspects of what it could mean to become a girl today. What practices are instrumental when girls become girls? And how have these questions been answered in different cultural contexts?.....Excerpt for my chapter:Web blogs and web blogging is a subject of constant debate. Do the blogs change our way of thinking about media and work as a democratic force, or are they simply a waste of time? Why do millions of Swedes want to read about the everyday life of a few spoiled teenage girls? Is the era of the printed word over? In the past few years, all these questions and many others have appeared in different forms in the Swedish mainstream media. This study aims to create a picture of the media climate surrounding girls’ web blogging by examining a number of Swedish news articles concerning blogs, as well as look deeper into how the discourses surrounding this phenomenon are created and prescribed with meaning. I am also interested in how girls understand their blogging practices and relate to contemporary media discourses. Questions about how the bloggers negotiate their understanding of this practice, as well as what gendered norms become visible in their reasoning, will be answered with the help of five girls in a focused group interview. In addition to that, I explore whether feminist standpoints or strategies of resistance can be detected among the girls. As a result of the two different research methods the dynamic power relation between bloggers and mass media becomes visible. This study show how girls are encouraged by a contemporary societal discourse to consume and focus on their appearance, and in doing so creating their own social context, something for which the blog as a medium is well adjusted. On the other hand the girls are invalidated and reprimanded when following the rules of this discourse, as a result of girls’ interests being preconditioned as uninteresting. Mainstream media combines an adult interpretative prerogative which “others” young people, with a focus on the femininely connoted intimacy and subjectivity, which creates a highly derogatory discourse for those who are placed in both constructed categories: young girlsBlogging has, although it exists within a framework of a commercial market, become a major social movement among Swedish girls, where important cultural codes and communities are created. The body of evidence in this study shows how the ever­growing readership and influence over old-style media that blogs retain, while at the same time being defined by the same, points toward a dynamic power relationship where no party is unaffected by the other

En sockersöt reklamhora uppväxt bland dokusåpor : En studie av hur könade normer och diskurser kring unga tjejers bloggande skapas och hur tjejerna förhandlar kring dem

I den här studien har jag fokuserat på unga tjejers bloggande. Det har tidigare varit ett åsidosatt ämne i Sverige, även om internationella studier finns. Jag har velat ge en bild av den diskurs som finns kring tjejers bloggande i Sverige idag, samt få några tjejers eget perspektiv på sitt bloggande och bloggläsande. För att uppnå detta har jag genomfört en medieanalys där ett antal tidningsartiklar granskats, samt genomfört en fokusgruppintervju med fem bloggande tjejer. Ur medieanalysen framkom att den övergripande diskursen kring tjejers bloggande är ogiltigförklarande och ofta nedsättande, men med vissa öppningar där tjejerna får agens och trovärdighet. Ytlighet i form av mode och intimiteten i den privata sfären konstrueras som något tjejer är bra på, samtidigt som dessa egenskaper blir starkt kritiserade i media eftersom det ytliga anses onödigt och det intima allt för privat. En anledning till detta är att bloggar har en publik potential då deras innehåll är synligt för alla, vilket strider både mot normer kring att fina flickor inte ska dra till sig uppmärksamhet, samt den äldre generationens tolkningsföreträde när det kommer till vad som ska hållas privat. Fokusgruppen upprepar en stor del av den diskurs som media förmedlar, vilket resulterar i att tjejerna nedvärderar sitt eget bloggande. Samtidigt finns det ett motstånd där tjejerna ifrågasätter vem som sätter agendan för statushierarkin där de själva återfinns längst ned, samt ser positiva aspekter av kvinnliga bloggare, så som deras mod och individualitet, som media ofta ignorerar.

Invisible, Responsible Women in Sweden–Planning Pregnancies, Choosing Contraceptives

In this study I explore discourses of contraception and reproduction, which are drawn upon and reproduced in Swedish official online sources on contraceptive advice, through the theoretical frameworks of biomedicalization and reproductive justice. The analysis yielded three interwoven themes: 1) women in need of contraceptives have to balance discourses of exogenous hormones as both an “unnatural” threat to their bodies and as desirable, effective regulators of the same “naturally unruly” body; 2) in search of a “perfect contraceptive fit”, it is the woman who needs to accommodate to available methods, rather than the other way around; 3) women are made discursively invisible, while simultaneously being constructed as individually responsible for reproduction. Underpinning all these themes is the discourse of rational, responsible choices, of exerting agency by choosing the right contraceptive. In the era of biomedicalization, finding a “contraceptive fit” becomes a moral and gendered health practice demanding thorough self-surveillance. The rational woman, exercising control over her reproduction and body, by planning her pregnancy with safe contraceptives, emerges as the only possible position. Recognizing that women’s and fertile person’s reproductive choices are made amid a societal context, with differing personal resources and experiences, would bring us even closer to reproductive justice

En sockersöt reklamhora uppväxt bland dokusåpor : En studie av hur könade normer och diskurser kring unga tjejers bloggande skapas och hur tjejerna förhandlar kring dem

I den här studien har jag fokuserat på unga tjejers bloggande. Det har tidigare varit ett åsidosatt ämne i Sverige, även om internationella studier finns. Jag har velat ge en bild av den diskurs som finns kring tjejers bloggande i Sverige idag, samt få några tjejers eget perspektiv på sitt bloggande och bloggläsande. För att uppnå detta har jag genomfört en medieanalys där ett antal tidningsartiklar granskats, samt genomfört en fokusgruppintervju med fem bloggande tjejer. Ur medieanalysen framkom att den övergripande diskursen kring tjejers bloggande är ogiltigförklarande och ofta nedsättande, men med vissa öppningar där tjejerna får agens och trovärdighet. Ytlighet i form av mode och intimiteten i den privata sfären konstrueras som något tjejer är bra på, samtidigt som dessa egenskaper blir starkt kritiserade i media eftersom det ytliga anses onödigt och det intima allt för privat. En anledning till detta är att bloggar har en publik potential då deras innehåll är synligt för alla, vilket strider både mot normer kring att fina flickor inte ska dra till sig uppmärksamhet, samt den äldre generationens tolkningsföreträde när det kommer till vad som ska hållas privat. Fokusgruppen upprepar en stor del av den diskurs som media förmedlar, vilket resulterar i att tjejerna nedvärderar sitt eget bloggande. Samtidigt finns det ett motstånd där tjejerna ifrågasätter vem som sätter agendan för statushierarkin där de själva återfinns längst ned, samt ser positiva aspekter av kvinnliga bloggare, så som deras mod och individualitet, som media ofta ignorerar.

En sockersöt reklamhora uppväxt bland dokusåpor : En studie av hur könade normer och diskurser kring unga tjejers bloggande skapas och hur tjejerna förhandlar kring dem

I den här studien har jag fokuserat på unga tjejers bloggande. Det har tidigare varit ett åsidosatt ämne i Sverige, även om internationella studier finns. Jag har velat ge en bild av den diskurs som finns kring tjejers bloggande i Sverige idag, samt få några tjejers eget perspektiv på sitt bloggande och bloggläsande. För att uppnå detta har jag genomfört en medieanalys där ett antal tidningsartiklar granskats, samt genomfört en fokusgruppintervju med fem bloggande tjejer. Ur medieanalysen framkom att den övergripande diskursen kring tjejers bloggande är ogiltigförklarande och ofta nedsättande, men med vissa öppningar där tjejerna får agens och trovärdighet. Ytlighet i form av mode och intimiteten i den privata sfären konstrueras som något tjejer är bra på, samtidigt som dessa egenskaper blir starkt kritiserade i media eftersom det ytliga anses onödigt och det intima allt för privat. En anledning till detta är att bloggar har en publik potential då deras innehåll är synligt för alla, vilket strider både mot normer kring att fina flickor inte ska dra till sig uppmärksamhet, samt den äldre generationens tolkningsföreträde när det kommer till vad som ska hållas privat. Fokusgruppen upprepar en stor del av den diskurs som media förmedlar, vilket resulterar i att tjejerna nedvärderar sitt eget bloggande. Samtidigt finns det ett motstånd där tjejerna ifrågasätter vem som sätter agendan för statushierarkin där de själva återfinns längst ned, samt ser positiva aspekter av kvinnliga bloggare, så som deras mod och individualitet, som media ofta ignorerar.

Sociodemographic patterns in pharmacy dispensing of medications for erectile dysfunction in Sweden

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between sociodemographic factors and pharmacy dispensing of medications for erectile dysfunction (ED) in the general population of middle-aged and elderly men. By considering a number of medical conditions that could promote or contraindicate use of ED medication, the analysis could help capture prescription patterns that might not be explained by medical needs. METHODS: Individual-level pharmacy dispensing data from 2006 for a population-based cohort of 216,148 men aged 45-79 years in the county Scania, Sweden, were analysed. Multiple logistic regression was applied, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated to quantify the discriminatory accuracy (DA) of the associations. National trends in pharmacy dispensing of ED medication between 2006 and 2016 were also analysed. RESULTS: Pharmacy dispensing of ED medication increased between 2006 and 2016, particularly among men aged 65-79 years (from 6.8 to 9.2%). Dispensing of ED medication was positively associated with higher socioeconomic position, and divorced and widowed men were more likely to fill a prescription with ED medication than married men. These associations remained after adjusting for medical conditions. The DA of the associations was, however, rather low (AUC = 0.69 among 45-64 year olds and AUC = 0.65 among 65-79 year olds). CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy dispensing of ED medication seem linked to the individuals socioeconomic position, age and marital status suggesting sociodemographic disparities in the pharmacy dispensing targeting sexual function. However, the low DA of the associations shows the limited capacity of these factors to predict ED medication use at the individual level.CC BY 4.0</p

Age-stratified association between use of hormonal contraception and a first-time use of psychotropic drugs.

<p>Age-stratified odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (black lines) for the association between use of hormonal contraceptives and use of psychotropic drugs within a one-year follow-up after baseline (2010–2011) in 815 662 Swedish women. Crude (black circles) and adjusted (gray squares) values. Adjustments were made for age, family income, highest educational level in family, previous hospitalizations, outpatient hospital visits, and having a diagnosis of thromboembolism, epilepsy or migraine, or menstrual disturbances including endometriosis.</p

Association between different oral and non-oral hormonal contraceptive methods and use of psychotropic drugs within one-year follow-up.

<p>Adjusted age-stratified odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between oral and non-oral hormonal contraception (HC) methods and use of psychotropic drugs within one-year follow-up after baseline (2010–2011) in 815 662 Swedish women. Non-users used as reference within each age group. The analyses distinguish between combined and progesterone-only methods within the oral and non-oral forms of contraceptives. Adjustments were made for age, family income, highest educational level in family, previous hospitalizations, outpatient hospital visits, and having a diagnosis of thromboembolism, epilepsy or migraine, or menstrual disturbances including endometriosis.</p

Hormonal contraception increases the risk of psychotropic drug use in adolescent girls but not in adults: A pharmacoepidemiological study on 800 000 Swedish women

<div><p>The burden of depression and anxiety disorders is greater in women, and female sex hormones have been shown to affect mood. Psychological side effects of hormonal contraception (HC) are also a common complaint in the clinic, but few previous studies have investigated this subject. We therefore wanted to investigate whether use of HC was associated with adverse psychological health outcomes, and whether this association was modified by age. All women aged 12–30 years on 31 December 2010, residing in Sweden for at least four years and with no previous psychiatric morbidity (n = 815 662), were included. We followed the women from their first HC use (or 31 December 2010, if they were non-users) at baseline, until a prescription fill of psychotropic drugs or the end of the one-year follow-up. We performed age-stratified logistic regression models and estimated odds ratios (OR) to measure the association between different HC methods and psychotropic drug use, as well as the area under the receiver operating curve to estimate discriminatory accuracy of HC in relation to psychotropic drugs. Overall, we found an association between HC and psychotropic drugs (adjusted OR 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30–1.37). In the age-stratified analysis, the strongest association was found in adolescent girls (adjusted OR 3.46, 95% CI 3.04–4.94 for age 12 to 14 years), while it was non-existent for adult women. We conclude that hormonal contraception is associated with psychotropic drug use among adolescent girls, suggesting an adverse effect of HC on psychological health in this population.</p></div