A Semiotic Analysis Of A Hotel Advertisement

In the essay “Don’t Look Now: The Male Pin-Up” by Richard Dyer, the author analyzes how male and female models look at the spectator. His argument is that men are always photographed in an active manner, and the women are just there sitting passively. Men do this because they cannot be feminine in any manner or otherwise they face a backlash from society. His goal in this essay is to reveal this cultural phenomenon to the reader by stating what the model’s look represents and the activity of models in images. Throughout this essay I will be analyzing how Dyer explains these concepts to inform the reader.

The image shows a woman having a dinner date with another man. I took an interest in this image because it is an advertisement for women but she displays masculine traits. She is the main focus because the ad is trying to sell dry shampoo for women. Her posture contradicts the common female posture in advertisements. The first thing that I noticed was that her hands are clenched as if she is saying she won or she achieved an objective. Her facial expression agrees with her hand position. These two postures strengthen each other to tell the people looking at this ad that if you use this product than you can achieve a “hot date.” This message relates to the theme of compulsive heterosexuality. The woman takes the masculine role

“In the 1840s, the first nude photographs of prostitutes were taken; advertisements using images of “beautiful” women first appeared in mid-century” (Wolf 215). This is an example of how media can show what is considered “beautiful.” We can now see something similar in contemporary time in which beauty magazines show young woman on the cover who are considered beautiful by the standards of society. The issue of the beauty magazine is it talks about how to get the perfect body with help of a certain brand of makeup. These images of photo shop perfection begins to affect the way woman see themselves and deem themselves as

Susan Bordo shares the development of men and women in modern society. She uses examples to support her point of the man today is different from he was in the old days. Bordo analyzes on the male body in advertising. She also discusses the male body is different from the female body in advertising of fashion. Even she regards male body is not typically used as an arousing symbol, but she agrees that “the male body is the beginning to be a commercial representation object” (Bordo). Bordo compares the male body and female body, and suggests the readers to read the male body through vulnerability. And since male body is always hidden from the public, it is different from female body. Bordo relates this phenomenon with the power of male

This advertisement for Ralph Lauren’s cologne “Red” screams power . In this specific layout, there are numerous images of a man being in expensive car’s and having women drive his boat. Those actions give off a vibe that advertisers believe this type of living is what all men truly want and desire. The advertisers try to capture the viewers attention by providing unique color schemes, texts, and images that draw them in. Not only are the red and black colors symbolism for power but it’s also the way the advertisers wrote their headlines. The name of the cologne is capitalized and italicized which shows a sense of power and priority to viewers.

Because the main audience for this ad is women who are younger that ad appeals to them by presenting the models in a way that symbolizes sexual power and confidence they would like to obtain. The models are equally attractive and are the same age as the anticipated audience. The ad vividly depicts a woman dressed provocatively wearing a bikini top with a short skirt proving that she is confident in her sexuality. The woman is not wearing the product she is wearing a high heel boot which is thought to be sexier as well more expensive than a tennis shoe which the male is wearing; therefore, the woman may be shown to have more power finically. By creating the thought of sexual and financial confidence women are drawn further into the ad and what it is offering. The woman is on top of the man clearly showing him who is in charge. The image of the woman on top of the man symbolizes power she is literally above him and dominating him in everyway. By creating the symbol of sexual power through the use of vivid presentation the specific female audience is persuaded that if she buys a pair of sketchers she can become confident in her sexuality as well as more sexually dominating. Symbols also play a large role in creating this feeling.

In John Berger’s Ways of Seeing he offers the idea that “to be a woman has been to be born...into the keeping of men.” He illustrates on page 46, that women are born to satisfy men, at least in terms of art for most European painters. He empathizes this point by pointing at nude portraits and oil paintings. I decided to analyze my own choice of advertisement to compare his theory in the modern world. I chose an American Apparel advertisement; the company has a history of invoking reactions from the public. The advertisement does not require much analysis to cause offense to the general viewer. American Apparel crosses the line in more ways than one. However, the advertisement I chose was rather tame in comparison to many others I considered.

Additionally, the pose which some of the women show in the advertisement can be related as a denotation to confidence. Moreover, the women in the advertisement wear no make-up is another denotation for self-confidence, self-acceptance and no hiding of the connoted idea of natural beauty.

An advertisement by Eastern Airlines in the 1970s furthers the concept of femininity that women must be beautiful, warm and would be better-suited to professions that entail providing service to customers as an extension of the idea that women, by the fact that they are women, have a better understanding of care as compared to men.

Cosmopolitan magazine, also known as Cosmo, is a fashion magazine known to target the women audience, around the world, on issues such as beauty, sex appeal, health etc. The magazine appeals our audience through the use of celebrities, such as in the magazines below, Khloe Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, and Demi Lovato. Through depicting each magazines cover, we will see the common patterns, and analyze the content of the texts displayed and how they relate to women’s style.

Some visual patterns are seen through the models on the covers. It is clear that there are predominately more white women featured on the cover than those of different ethnicities. Also, the models are all dressed in revealing clothes with a lot of cleavage showing. This shows how women are expected to look sexy and dressed for visual appeal from men, instead of for confidence or comfort for themselves. The women all portray society’s idea of a “perfect body” with just the right ratio of curves

Amongst all of these advertisements, a natural link is developed between the visual representation and the product/idea being sold. In the first ad, a masculine link of control and success was created between the picture and job, targeted for both elder men and women. For man, their natural state of superiority would increase if he took this job. For the woman, her natural lower class state would move up to that of manís. The perfume ad, on the other hand, is attracting female customers only. The feminine feelings of happiness, peace, beauty and truth are linked through objects from nature, such as the sky and clouds; and these feelings are stereotypically viewed as feminine. The third ad selling a vacation trip is directed mainly toward college students. The presentation of freedom, adventure and relaxation grab studentsí attention, especially for those who really need to get away from school stress. The ad targets all sorts of students, those ìmasculineî ones who are seeking adventure and those

In this analysis, the author examines the staging of male and female subjects in visual discourse by deconstructing advertisements that involve gendered subjects, examine gender on an institutional level, and look at gender as a performance. Advertisements are the most conventional ways to portray commercial realism, something that could be real because they don’t look peculiar or weird- they look normal. The big question asked by Erving Goffman, author of the book, “Gender Advertisements” is why do these advertisements not look strange to us when in fact they really are (Jhally)?

Think of the days when lighting cigarettes in diners, movie theaters, and even in the doctor’s office were commonplace. Cigarettes were marketed as being good for your health, weight loss, and even as a stress reliever. Rhetorical Analysis provides the means to look at text on a deeper level. Through conducting a rhetorical analysis of a 1920s Lucky Strike advertisement it can be deduced that Lucky Strike effectively uses ethos, logos, and pathos to exploit the values of women and subsequently sell cigarettes to women.

In order to capture our attention, the company first creates an appealing visual to draw us in. In the Revlon advertisement, the face of an attractive Argentinian male dominates the page. He holds a seductive pose, staring directly at the viewer while simultaneously winking; this creates a feeling of intimacy with the viewer. A white woman’s hands are then carefully placed in his hair and his mouth; she is playfully touching him while he gently bites her finger. The use of a white female and Argentinian male conveys the idea that women find men of “color” more attractive and masculine. The woman is hidden in the image, consumed by a black background. This gives us the freedom to imagine her as anyone, including ourselves. If we buy this product and use it, we will attract the attention of men and be more flirtatious. Her nails are then strategically painted a bright pastel green and she is wearing an enormous flashy ring to highlight the nail polish as well as bring