A Semiotic Analysis Of Female Images In Reader’s Digest Advertisements

With the development of social economy, advertisements have become an indispensable part in ideological construction of the public, and they are playing dominant role in modern consumption concept,value judgment and popular culture. Advertisements also play a crucial role in every aspects of social and economic life, and have a direct impact on the development of social ideology. Nowadays, advertisements are not only a series economic activities, but also cultural carriers, which influence culture, in return, spread and influenced by the culture, as a kind of media, they pass the value concept, and ideology to the audience.Therefore, the overuse of female images in advertisements has caused an extensive concern of scholars, the actresses’ expressions, representation style, and meaning delivery mechanism are the heated discussed topics of many scholars.Applying semiotic theory in advertisements analysis is all in day’s work, especially Roland Barthes’ “Myth” Theory. This theory carries a profound analysis of advertisements’ signs from the perspectives of“signifier”, “signified”, “second-order semiological” system, and the operation mechanism of signs, and points out that by taking advantage of the relationship between “signifier” and “signified”, advertisers construct signal meanings. The “Consumption Theory” is put forward by Baudrillard, the core of his theory is to study sign consumption process in consumption culture, namely, the consumption of signs, while, the essence of sign consumption is the consumption of signal meanings. Thus, by combing these two theories,the author may make a comprehensive interpretation of modern advertisements from “signifier”,“signified”, meaning generative mechanism and consumption of signal meanings in advertisements.Therefore, in this thesis, the author combines semiotic theory with “Consumption Theory”, takes magazine advertisements as research objects, and applies content and descriptive analysis to study the features of the representations of female images in Reader’s Digest. Semiotic method is also used to analyze the meaning generative mechanism of female images in this magazine, in addition, based on cultural and ideological factors, the author reveals the signal meanings of the “symbolized” female images.The research results manifest:(1) Since the Feminist Movement, although female status has improved greatly, women are still represented stereotypically in ads: sexy, young, slim women become “darlings” of advertisers, female works are framed in traditional, and domestic style. All these features show the residual traces of power,and patriarchal rule in United States. On the other hand, female body, fragmented body parts are the discourses of females and make them become the objects of male aesthetic and desire;(2) Female images in ads are “symbolized” and sold as “products”, their values lie in the “signal meaning”, by second-order semiological system(the “Myth” system), the signal meanings are generated and delivered to customers. Thus, in advertisements, accompanying with the consumption of material goods, consumers are consuming signal meanings of female images at the same time;(3) Female images in ads are no longer a series visual signs, they are also power signs, desire signs,and consumption signs;The applying of Myth Theory and Consumption Theory in Reader’s Digest advertisements’ analysis has a certain practical significance: On one hand, it can make readers to know even in United States, such a democratic country, which is deeply influenced by Feminist Movement, there still exits gender discrimination, females are still restricted by male chauvinism. On the other hand, the author hopes that this thesis can help readers understand the operation mechanism of advertising further, and clear the meanings and functions of “symbolized” female images, so as to take an objective and cool attitude towards the temptation of advertisements...