The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate the criticism female and male Idol participants receive from the Idol jury in the program Swedish Idol 2018, from a gender perspective. The study also investigates possible differences in the type criticism, depending on the Idol participants' sex. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA) as both theory and method, underlying messages in the Idol jury's criticism are revealed. The selection consisted of eight Idol participants: four female, two from Stockholm and two from Gothenburg and four male, two from Stockholm and two from Gothenburg. The jury´s criticism that the Idol participants received was analyzed based on the concepts stereotypes, sexualisation and naming.

The result shows that both male and female Idol participants are being sexualised and stereotyped in the Idol jury's criticism. However, the female Idol participants are expected to maintain a stereotypical feminine role, while the male Idol participants do not have to maintain a stereotypical masculine role. The Idol jury's namings show that female Idol participants are being categorised more than the male Idol participants. The Idol jury's criticism to the female participants has a great focus on the body as an object and sexual satisfaction, while the criticism to the male participants focuses more on detailed bodily characteristics.