Feminismen krackelerar - unga kvinnor vill vara feminina och traditionella hemmafruar

Sweden has a global reputation for championing gender equality, so why are young women embracing a social media trend that celebrates quitting work?

Vilma Larsson, 25, previously had jobs in a grocery store, a care home and a factory. But she quit work a year ago to become a stay-at-home-girlfriend, and says she’s never been happier.
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She shares her lifestyle on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, where she’s amassed 11,000 followers. Some of her posts have had almost 400,000 likes, although she says she’s not making an income from her content.

She uses the hashtags “hemmaflickvän” and “hemmafru” (Swedish for stay-at-home girlfriend and housewife) and describes herself as a “soft girl” – an identity that embraces a softer, more feminine way of living rather than focussing on a career.

The soft girl lifestyle has been a microtrend on social media in different parts of the world since the late 2010s. But in Sweden – with five decades of policies designed to promote dual income households behind it – the concept’s recent popularity has sparked both surprise and division.

Förra året sa Vilma Larsson upp sig från sitt jobb. Istället är hon hemma och blir försörjd av sin pojkvän, Edvin Cederqvist, som är egenföretagare.

– Jag får pengar av honom varje månad för att spendera och spara, säger Vilma Larsson.

SVT Nyheter Skåne besöker paret när de tillbringar några dagar i Ystad i Skåne under sommaren. De bor till vardags i Vadstena i Östergötland.