Author: Åsa Lundqvist, Professor of Sociology, Lund University

The idea of becoming a “soft girl” – a woman who embrace values that are seen as soft, such as beauty and family life, at the expense of a career – is an emerging trend among some social media influencers. Soft girls often opt to be financially supported by a boyfriend or husband. In this way, the soft girl can be seen as similar to an aspiring housewife or “trad wife”, another popular role on social media. Even in Sweden, a country famous for its gender equality policies and repeatedly ranked as number one among countries in the Gender Equality…