In the magazines on the shelves in Swedish shops there are a plethora of lifestyle magazines that tell us how to live, dress, and look in order to attain happiness. Many of these magazines are aimed at women of different ages and a common feature of them is that happiness comes when the perfect partner is found.

We have examined, using a gender perspective, how the magazines Frida and M Magazine construct boys and men. Through the construction of men and boys, we then examined how women are expected to find, please and keep the perfect partner.

Using a combined narrative, visual and critical discourse analysis, we found that traditional gender roles are often reproduced in these magazines. The woman is responsible for the home and family while the man is portrayed as the provider.