Commodified State Feminism: The Entanglements of Feminist Commodity Activism and Feminist Politics in a Nordic Welfare State

This paper analyzes commodified state feminism, that is, the entanglements of feminist commodity activism and feminist state politics. Earlier research has defined feminist commodity activism as consuming commodities branded as feminist, determining consumption as empowering for women, and enmeshing feminism with ethical consumption. This paper addresses the increasingly close relations between consumerism and state politics and asks how feminist commodity activism interacts with state feminism. It draws on two empirical cases in the Nordic welfare state of Finland. The first is Uhana Design, a small-scale fashion business, and its Girl Gang campaign that leans on state feminism. The second is Finland’s leading female politicians’ engagements with feminist fashion. By analyzing these cases via three theoretical lenses— business, popular, and state feminism—this paper develops the notion of commodified state feminism, paying attention to its economic, cultural, and political dimensions. It also argues that commodified state feminism is emblematic of the current political context, in which the boundaries between market and politics have become blurred.