Isabella Löwengrip is publishing a book called "Kvinnoboost," and the announcement has prompted Dagens Nyheter columnist Åsa Beckman to revisit the influencer's much-criticised remarks about female voters. In a column published by the newspaper, Beckman argues that while Löwengrip expressed herself poorly, she was onto something about how many women relate to news and politics.
According to Dagens Nyheter, the book is described in its press release as one that will encourage, support and amuse readers, covering the successes and crashes of Löwengrip's life. The title and framing drew a weary reaction from Beckman, who wrote that she let out an audible groan when she read the news.
Why it matters
The column connects a celebrity book announcement to a broader discussion about how women consume news — and why growing numbers are turning away from it. Beckman cites research showing that more young women aged 20 to 45 are opting out of traditional news than before, because it leaves them feeling anxious and worried.
That trend gives Löwengrip's earlier comments a new context, according to the columnist. During the run-up to the Swedish election, Löwengrip had advised the Moderate Party on why it struggled to attract female voters. She told Dagens Nyheter at the time that women tend to vote based on values while men focus more on individual policy issues, and she said one had to make women understand how a government is run.
Those remarks provoked widespread criticism, with commentators describing them as condescending and hostile to women. Her subsequent attempt to clarify in Aftonbladet — saying that for very many women the emotional response takes over and blocks strategic thinking — did not calm the reaction.
A clumsy phrasing, a genuine observation
Beckman does not defend the wording. She notes that female voters prioritise healthcare, schools, social welfare, climate and gender equality, and she argues that this list reflects a focus on relationships, care and protection — not irrationality. Read another way, she writes, it can be seen as a considered and rational response to social problems.
Still, the columnist maintains that Löwengrip was tracking something real. Women appear to feel the weight of wars and crises more heavily, Beckman writes, and that can lead to what is now called news avoidance. In Löwengrip's terms, their feelings take over and put a stop to things — and Beckman finds that entirely understandable, adding that she finds it stranger that more people do not feel powerless at the pace of troop movements in Europe or at projections of global warming reaching 2.8 degrees.
The newsletter that offers a different model
Much of the column is devoted to Hint, a free newsletter started by Irena Pozar, former editor-in-chief of Veckorevyn, aimed at younger women. It recently marked its first anniversary. Each morning at seven, according to Beckman, it arrives in subscribers' inboxes, opening with a few personal lines before summarising the day's three most important news events, with links for readers who want to go deeper into other outlets.
The newsletter then covers culture, beauty and fashion, and always closes with a tip — a new makeup product, a pair of warm autumn gloves or a pair of cowboy boots. Pozar has said she wants Hint to feel like the smartest and funniest female friend in the group chat.
Beckman writes that she is glad every morning to open it, because the letter assumes its readers are curious and intelligent people who want to understand more. She argues that this audience knows society tends to look down on their fan culture, the books they read, the music they listen to and the series they enjoy, and that their spending habits are mocked more than those of men their own age. Wanting an expensive night cream, she notes, will always be seen as sillier than coveting a costly men's watch.
By treating young women's world as large, rich and complex, Hint gives them a clearer sense of their own ability to shape it, Beckman concludes — a feeling she rates highly.
Löwengrip's "Kvinnoboost" is expected to reach bookshops following the announcement, though no publication date is given in the reporting. Watch for how the book is received — and whether the debate over women, emotion and news resets once more.
