Constructing Femininity Through Consumption : A Semiotic Analysis of Postfeminist Self-Branding and Alcohol Discoursein Bianca Ingrosso's and Hanna Friberg's Instagram Content

Sammanfattning

In a digital environment where young women and minors are frequently exposed to influencer representations, individuals in influential positions carry great social responsibility. Creating a consistent and authentic relationship with the audience is central to success on social media, but these performances appear to be shaped by visual and discursive strategies that emphasize consumption and reproduce gendered inequalities. This study applies a feminist analytical lens to critically investigate the discourses and subject positions constructed in alcohol-related Instagram feed posts by the Swedish female influencers Hanna Friberg and Bianca Ingrosso. Through a semiotic analysis of images and captions, the study reveals which drinking subject positions are portrayed as desirable. The analysis focuses on how postfeminist femininity, alcohol culture, and gendered consumption practices are expressed through the Social Media Influencers' (SMIs') self-branding strategies. The SMIs were found to simultaneously challenge, negotiate, and reproduce prior definitions of postfeminist ideals, while remaining embedded within broader postfeminist and neoliberal discourses. Overall, the portrayals expand and rework existing understandings of a postfeminist femininity in contemporary influencer culture.