UNVEILING FEMININE MYTH: SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF COSMETIC ADVERTISEMENTS

It is believed that myths shape the society and influence the behavior of its people. Myths provide role models. As a folklore genre, they play very important role in the society. However, they are not the true accounts of reality but are cultural constructions. In advertisements the process of signification occurs at two levels namely linguistic level or denotative and myth level or connotative. The advertisers often use this mythic level to appeal to the emotions of the consumers and hook them towards their products. In this regard they feed on the man-made definition of '' perfection'' by creating names that carry stereotypes, myth and ideals. Keeping in view of the above deliberations, the present study aimed at unveiling feminine myth manifested in advertisements. The authors examine five different cosmetic advertisements taken from fashion magazines to unveil the feminine myth used in them. The Semiotic analysis technique has been employed to explore the possible meaning of sign, gestures, background colors, facial expression and tagline in the adverts. The paper also talks about the portrayal of female and how they are sexualized in advertisements.