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Commodifying feminism: Economic choice and agency in the context of lifestyle influencers and gender consultants

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  • Magdalena Petersson McIntyre

Abstract

Feminism has become a recurrent ingredient in many women's narratives of their selves and is regularly appearing as an important aspect of women's success, happiness and self‐realization. The development has been criticized for upholding a view in which structural inequalities are explained in terms of individual choices; choice feminism. This article examines two professional groups, lifestyle influencers and gender equality consultants. The purpose is to examine how questions of feminism, choice and entrepreneurship are made sense of in these contexts. The article situates the interviewees' explanations in fourth, or even fifth wave feminism to examine whether the embrace of choice still relies on a critique of gender structures and inequalities. Both the consultants and the influencers felt that entrepreneurial success had changed the way society viewed them. The appeal of ‘choice’ was an outcome of a perceived lack of choice, a matter of performing resistance to the culturally defined choices these individuals felt were presented to them. The article contributes to an understanding of the shifting meanings and forms feminism takes in social media and commercial market settings and what it is that these individuals find appealing in addressing individual success as a feminist victory.

Suggested Citation

  • Magdalena Petersson McIntyre, 2021. "Commodifying feminism: Economic choice and agency in the context of lifestyle influencers and gender consultants," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 1059-1078, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:28:y:2021:i:3:p:1059-1078
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12627
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Magdalena Petersson McIntyre, 2020. "Agencing femininity: digital Mrs. Consumer in intra-action," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 54-72, January.
    2. Karin Berglund & Helene Ahl & Katarina Pettersson & Malin Tillmar, 2018. "Women's entrepreneurship, neoliberalism and economic justice in the postfeminist era: A discourse analysis of policy change in Sweden," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(5), pages 531-556, September.
    3. Yvonne Benschop & Patricia Lewis & Ruth Simpson & Patricia Lewis & Yvonne Benschop & Ruth Simpson, 2017. "Postfeminism, Gender and Organization," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 213-225, May.
    4. Helene Ahl & Karin Berglund & Katarina Pettersson & Malin Tillmar, 2016. "From feminism to FemInc.ism: On the uneasy relationship between feminism, entrepreneurship and the Nordic welfare state," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 369-392, June.
    5. Magdalena Petersson McIntyre, 2015. "Queering all aboard: challenging the maleness of the leisure boat industry," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 24(1), pages 4-22.
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