This master's thesis examines the production of the Slovenian edition of Cosmopolitan magazine. Its aim is to determine the position of female journalists at Cosmopolitan in light of the high level of precarious employment, shrinking social rights and incomes, the masculinization of the journalism profession, and gender inequalities masked by a seemingly meritocratic system. The thesis explores how the position of these journalists relates to their freedom and role in producing content, which is characterized by a dichotomy between stereotypical and seemingly feminist narratives that in reality serve to spread consumption and gender ideologies and to discipline the female body. The empirical part includes a qualitative case study based on semi-structured interviews with ten current and former Cosmopolitan journalists. The main findings indicate high degrees of precarity, the magazine’s market- oriented nature, poor working conditions and frequent staff turnover as well as self- stereotypization by journalists through the reproduction of gender stereotypes, with only partial awareness of this phenomenon. It becomes evident that magazines like Cosmopolitan, with their seemingly liberal philosophy, in fact perpetuate gender stereotypes – both to their audience and to some of their own creators. Interviewed journalists who desire change point to the rigidity of the system that makes implementing such change difficult.
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