Contesting Ideologies Structuring Gender Transgression in the Swedish Marketplace

This paper interrogates how contesting state and marketplace ideologies in Sweden negotiates the construction of gender transgression in the mar- ketplace. There is always an incessant ideological battle among the differ- ent sides of a society – among the traditionalist and the more progressive, among those who embraces change and those who attempt to conserve corrupting the natural order. Between two such large ideological positions, consumers in Sweden are caught in the crossfires of different messages and strives to figure out their interpretive strategies. Given its status as a welfare State, Sweden is driven, to a large extent, by state– instigated double eman- cipation ideology. On the other hand, both traditional gender ideology and a more progressive gender transgressive ideology – that promotes gender inclusivity, neutrality and fluidity – also pervades consumption in the Swedish marketplace.