”ALLA HAR BLIVIT SÅ J***A SMALA”. En kritisk diskursanalys av diskursen kring smalhetsen i svenska podcasts

Abstract

In 2023 a new wave of pro anorectic content promoting an unhealthy body ideal was observed in both Swedish and international media. Due to influencers being accused of posting content encouraging anorectic behavior, an increasing alarm regarding the effects on young girls has been noted in Swedish media. In recent years the podcast has rapidly grown and been established as a dominant source of both information and entertainment for young people. The free and relaxed characteristic of the podcast has given it an ability to create much more intimate relations between creator and consumer compared to other media. With these two things in mind the thesis of this study is to examine the discussion of the pro anorectic wave in Swedish podcasts today. This is done by answering these three questions: In what context is the pro anorectic wave discussed in Swedish podcasts? What opinions and ideologies are present in each podcast episode? How are these opinions and ideologies presented? Results show that the construction of ”Us” and ”Them” and discursive strategies such as trigger warnings, disclaimers and non verbal expressions display explicit and underlying ideologies. In the analyzed podcasts a discourse with similar content and common sub themes are recognized. The primary sub themes are as follows: The phenomenon of the new pro anorectic wave. The targeting of influencers posting pro anorectic content. The question of responsibility. All podcasters view the new pro anorectic wave and the ensuing targeting of influencers as problematic but differences in opinion occur when answering the question of responsibility. A series of causes are highlighted and discussed further regarding these problems. Individual episodes contain mixed messages when clear positions are interspersed with contradictory and less thought-out statements that reveal an underlying ideology.