A multimodal analysis of gendered messages ina diet advertisement for women

• Autor(a) principal: Böhlke, Rossana de Felippe
• Data de Publicação: 2006
• Tipo de documento: Artigo de conferência
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da FURG (RI FURG)
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio.furg.br/handle/1/2973
• topic: Multimodal analysis; Advertising; Gender; Female body; Análise multimodal; Propaganda; Gênero; Corpo feminino

This work provides a combined analysis of linguistics and visual structures of a piece of advertising promoting a weight management drug which follows a leaflet format. To meet this purpose, I based my analysis mainly on the theoretical framework proposed by Halliday (1985; 1994; 2004) and Kress and van Leeuven (1996) for their interest in the functional meaning of language and visual modes. A semiotic-linguistic analysis shows how gendered messages of fit empowerment in promotional discourse can paradoxically highlight a social pressure played against a female body. The theoretical apparatus helps to scrutinize the dynamic interplay of different semiotic modes, constantly taken by advertising, so as to emphasize the tension between female physical empowerment and dictations of gendered body norms. Even a partial analysis of the whole campaign indicates how language and images are used to turn female body insecurity into a profitable commodity. This work is part of my PhD. research in progress on a multimodal analysis of the Brazilian version advertising campaign.