Disturbing Femininity
When Helle Thorning-Schmidt in 2011 became the first female Prime Minister in Denmark, this “victory for the women” was praised in highly celebratory tones in Danish newspapers. The celebration involved a paradoxical representation of gen-der as simultaneously irrelevant to politics and – when it co...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Linköping University Electronic Press
2013-06-01
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| Series: | Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research |
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3384/cu.2000.1525.135153 |
| _version_ | 1818084959370346496 |
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| author | Kirsten Hvenegård-Lassen |
| author_facet | Kirsten Hvenegård-Lassen |
| author_sort | Kirsten Hvenegård-Lassen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | When Helle Thorning-Schmidt in 2011 became the first female Prime Minister in Denmark, this “victory for the women” was praised in highly celebratory tones in Danish newspapers. The celebration involved a paradoxical representation of gen-der as simultaneously irrelevant to politics and – when it comes to femininity – in need of management. Based on an analysis of the newspaper coverage of the elec-tion, I argue that highlighting gender (in)equality as either an important political issue or as something that conditions the possibilities of taking up a position as politician was evaluated as a performative speech act, i.e. an act that creates the trouble it names. Ruling out gender equality as relevant was, however, continually interrupted by comments on how Thorning-Schmidt and other female politicians perform gender in ways that fit or do not fit with “doing politician”. These com-ments tended to concern the styling of bodies and behaviour and followed well known – or sticky – gendered scripts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:02:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4761b3d8c8504dc4912e18578c20b0d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2000-1525 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:02:10Z |
| publishDate | 2013-06-01 |
| publisher | Linköping University Electronic Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-4761b3d8c8504dc4912e18578c20b0d82022-12-22T01:35:29ZengLinköping University Electronic PressCulture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research2000-15252013-06-01515317310.3384/cu.2000.1525.135153Disturbing FemininityKirsten Hvenegård-LassenWhen Helle Thorning-Schmidt in 2011 became the first female Prime Minister in Denmark, this “victory for the women” was praised in highly celebratory tones in Danish newspapers. The celebration involved a paradoxical representation of gen-der as simultaneously irrelevant to politics and – when it comes to femininity – in need of management. Based on an analysis of the newspaper coverage of the elec-tion, I argue that highlighting gender (in)equality as either an important political issue or as something that conditions the possibilities of taking up a position as politician was evaluated as a performative speech act, i.e. an act that creates the trouble it names. Ruling out gender equality as relevant was, however, continually interrupted by comments on how Thorning-Schmidt and other female politicians perform gender in ways that fit or do not fit with “doing politician”. These com-ments tended to concern the styling of bodies and behaviour and followed well known – or sticky – gendered scripts.http://dx.doi.org/10.3384/cu.2000.1525.135153Gendergender equalitypoliticsperformativityperformancecelebrityDanish newspapers |
| spellingShingle | Kirsten Hvenegård-Lassen Disturbing Femininity Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research Gender gender equality politics performativity performance celebrity Danish newspapers |
| title | Disturbing Femininity |
| title_full | Disturbing Femininity |
| title_fullStr | Disturbing Femininity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disturbing Femininity |
| title_short | Disturbing Femininity |
| title_sort | disturbing femininity |
| topic | Gender gender equality politics performativity performance celebrity Danish newspapers |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.3384/cu.2000.1525.135153 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kirstenhvenegardlassen disturbingfemininity |