engleski

Representation of Feminity in Advertising Images : a Visual Analysis

Visual images in contemporary advertising significantly contribute the way people perceive their gender identities. Gender identities are not just presented and reflected but are represented through the interplay of various visual elements. Thus, lifestyle magazines have an important role in the construction of feminity either in stereotypical or new ways. Although various researchers have shown that women are pictured in traditional modes some analyses indicate that presentation of feminity depends on various social factors as well as on the contexts in which advertisements can be “read”. However, gender images remain central to the world of advertising and most of the products are difficult to conceive without them. The aim of the study was to analyse the ways feminity is constructed through the representations of female bodies and the other visual elements in women’s and men’s lifestyle magazines in Croatia. We also focus on the ways female body images relate to the male and to the product/service images, as well as to the advertising imagery. Therefore, the aim was to analyse how advertisements produce and manipulate with various social signifiers. Most of the advertisements are combinations of old and new representational signs of feminity. Nevertheless, interactions of gender identity, consumption, and representation have stronger and stronger impact on the promotion of vast spectrum of products to a range of consumers.

visual analysis ; feminity ; images ; advertising ; magazines

DOI: 10.5593/SGEMSOCIAL2015/B11/S2.098