Joakim Lundell lives as Stephanie in social media experiment

Joakim Lundell is living as a woman named Stephanie in a social media and documentary experiment designed to explore female experiences, leading to encounters with sexual harassment during a trip to Marbella and prompting physical alterations including botox and fillers.

The Transformation into Stephanie

In 2026, 41-year-old Swedish media personality Joakim Lundell initiated a project requiring him to live around the clock as a female character named Stephanie. To make the transformation convincing for an upcoming documentary series, Lundell underwent cosmetic procedures including lip fillers, cheekbone adjustments, and eyebrow shaping, paired with a blonde wig and tailored clothing, as Aftonbladet reported. Lundell stated that the physical and behavioral adjustments caused him to question his identity, noting that his speech patterns and movements naturally shifted during the process.

Lundell explained that in order for the experiment to succeed, he needed to believe in the persona himself rather than relying on a subpar wig, shaved beard, and basic makeup that would simply make him look like a man dressed up for Halloween. To achieve the internal feeling of womanhood when looking in the mirror, he had to reshape his lips and cheekbones, remove and pluck his own eyebrows, and apply false eyelashes. He remarked in an Instagram story that whenever he feels like removing the alterations, he will do so.

Lundell first gained public prominence in 2010 as a reality star on Kungarna av Tylösand, during a period marked by heavy drinking and romantic escapades, after which he tattooed I love hoes on his arm—markings that are now crossed out. His career has since involved various extremes, including staging a fake assault on his girlfriend and claiming that his time as a Big Brother celebrity was an advanced form of undercover reporting.

Encounters with Harassment in Marbella

During a trip to Marbella with influencer colleagues while dressed as Stephanie, Lundell experienced uninvited advances from men. According to Aftonbladet, a taxi driver stroked Lundell’s hand and thigh during a ride, and Lundell reported receiving multiple unwanted touches and close physical contact while visiting local venues. Lundell observed his female colleagues taking precautions to protect their drinks from being drugged, noting that men do not typically have to consider such safety measures when going out.

During his time out at venues in character, Lundell experienced receiving roughly three rear gropes alongside individuals pressing their genitals against him while dancing, noting that while he attempted to dance with the female friends he was traveling with, men persistently sought to dance with him instead. Speaking to Radio Aftonbladet, Lundell said that if all men spent a week as women, crime rates would decrease.

Contrasting Media Reactions

Coverage of the project varied significantly across Swedish publications. Writing in Svenska Dagbladet, Lykke Eder-Ekman noted that the experiment began as a provocative stunt relying on old tropes of men dressing as women, but evolved into a serious emotional reaction regarding the realities of the patriarchy and women’s experiences. Conversely, cultural commentators at Sydsvenskan dismissed the project as an embarrassing late realization of systemic inequality from a public figure known for past controversies.

Eder-Ekman noted that the undertaking drew comparisons to traditional entertainment tropes where the punchline is simply a man dressed as a woman, recalling figures such as Morran och Tobias, Therese i kassan, or comedian Emil Henrohn portraying a mother. However, she observed that unlike those flat comedic acts, Lundell’s project carried a more substantial point and strong dramaturgy, shifting rapidly from amusement at his own reflection to tears over the realities of being a woman.

Reflections on Personal History and Public Response

Lundell stated in Radio Aftonbladet, as cited by Aftonbladet, that the experiment helped him find himself and access a deeper level of vulnerability. Eder-Ekman pointed out in Svenska Dagbladet that the undertaking successfully drew engagement from both misogynistic and socially conscious audiences. The completed documentary series detailing the project is scheduled for release at a later date.