Semiotic Lens

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Recommended: Objectifying Women in Advertising

Through a semiotic lens, I will argue how this advertisement by APAV, a Portuguese victim support group, creates a strong representation of women involved in domestic violence, being silenced by not only their abusers, but society itself. The purpose of this essay is to analyse the accompanying text through semiotic methodology, by identifying the visual cues and signs which convey the core message. The text I have selected attempts to call to attention the issue of domestic violence in Portuguese society and the practice of silencing its victims. I felt that the image was an ideal text to analyse due to its emotive message and the strong use of visual cues. Domestic violence is an ongoing issue in today’s society, whether it’s physical or …show more content…

This sign carries a set of connotations or associations that remind me, the viewer, of certain feelings or beliefs attached to the signifier (O Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2012). The connotations from this sign are physical abuse, depression, embarrassment, pain, and medical treatment. The cuts are also an indexical sign which is the physical result of …show more content…

The signifier being the female’s face, bright in appearance, with little shadowing around her face, whereas the hand is considerably darker. The brightness conveyed towards the female denotes an angel, or an angelic figure, connoting innocence and freedom. However, the dark colours shown in the hand denotes a more dominant, depressing figure, which carries connotations such as power, confidence and control. The hand is masculine in appearance, indicating that the dominant figure in this text is indeed male. From analysing these signs through semiology, it is clear that the woman is the innocent but submissive character, with the assertive figure being the dominant character, silencing the victim and taking away her freedom of

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