The romantic fantasy of even and Isak—an exploration of Scandinavian women looking for gratification in the teen serial SKAM

ABSTRACT

Based on ethnographic reception analysis, cultural sociology, and psychoanalytic film analysis, this article explores a group of Scandinavian adult female fans of the gay couple Even and Isak from the teen serial SKAM. The aim is to acquire knowledge about what pleasures this group gains from watching and chatting online about this serial. We argue that through their pondering of the gay couple as a romantic fantasy, these women address and negotiate social contradictions regarding gender and sexuality that they encounter in Scandinavian post-feminist societies.

KEYWORDS:

• Fandoms
• gay romance
• audience
• psychoanalysis
• post-feminism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Norwegian Rådet for Anvendt Medieforskning (RAM).Rådet for Anvendt Medieforskning.

Notes on contributors

Synnøve Skarsbø Lindtner

Synnøve Skarsbø Lindtner is Associate Professor at the Department of Media Studies and Information Science at the University of Bergen. Her research interests are gender and the media, social movements, and popular culture, on which she has published both historical and contemporary studies. E-mail: [email protected]

John Magnus Ragnhildson Dahl

John Magnus Ragnhildson Dahl is PhD Fellow at the same institution. He is interested in popular culture, cultural identity, and the relationship between aesthetics and politics. E-mail: [email protected]