Representation Of Women In Modern Advertising Visuals: A Semiotic Analysis Of The Transformation Of Feminine Imagery In Popular Media
Keywords:
Women Representation, Visual Semiotics, Feminine Image, Advertising, Visual Communication DesignAbstract
This study analyzes the representation of women in modern advertising and examines the transformation of feminine imagery across media periods using Roland Barthes' semiotic framework. This study employed a qualitative approach through purposive sampling of advertisements from two distinct eras, sourced from digital platforms, particularly YouTube, due to its high visual consumption and relevance in contemporary media culture. Visual elements, including gestures, expressions, composition, color, and symbolic attributes, were systematically interpreted at three levels of meaning: denotation, connotation, and myth. The findings reveal a significant shift from ornamental and passive portrayals in earlier advertisements to active, independent, and empowered figures in contemporary digital and professional contexts. Earlier advertisements constructed femininity through soft visual aesthetics, static postures, and pastel color schemes that reinforced traditional gender roles, while contemporary advertisements positioned women as active agents of change within professional and technological environments. Nevertheless, these progressive portrayals remain embedded within commercial aesthetics and industry-driven visual standards, indicating that empowerment narratives in contemporary advertising are not entirely free from commodification and market-driven visual logic. These findings highlight advertising's role as a cultural agent in reconstructing gender narratives and underscore the need for critical awareness in visual communication design practices to foster more inclusive, equitable, and context-sensitive portrayals of women in contemporary media.
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