A semiotic study on lipstick L’oreal Paris product poster advertisement

Abstract

Beauty products advertisements concern the scholars because they use the term women empowerment only to increase their profit without caring what happen to women struggle to defend their own rights in society. The third-wave feminism which more closely to define the beauty in diversity make scholars worried that this will misinterpret to prioritize male gaze rather than women empowerment. For this reason, this research aims to investigate the stereotype of women and how women empowerment were presented in L’Oreal Paris lipstick products advertised instagram. This research applies socio-pragmatic approach to semiotics because this study use social semiotics from Kress and van Leeuwen and pragmatism perspective from Peirce. The data of this research were collected from @lorealparis instagram posts which were related only on lipstick products. The data chosen purposively were collected and analyzed using four steps from Bezemer and Jewitt: collecting and logging, viewing, sampling, transcribing and analyzing. The result of this study shows that icon, index and symbol in the data represent women stereotypically as professional women, sexually powerful, and object of beauty which makes them looks equal and confidence regardless of their skin color and body size. This research also shows that @lorealparis lipstick product advertisement has empowered women to use their attractiveness as the power to conquer obstacles and injustice.Keywords: semiotic, advertisement poster, L'Oreal Paris lipstick products, women empowermentBeauty products advertisements concern the scholars because they use the term women empowerment only to increase their profit without caring what happen to women struggle to defend their own rights in society. The third-wave feminism which more closely to define the beauty in diversity make scholars worried that this will misinterpret to prioritize male gaze rather than women empowerment. For this reason, this research aims to investigate the stereotype of women and how women empowerment were presented in L’Oreal Paris lipstick products advertised instagram. This research applies socio-pragmatic approach to semiotics because this study use social semiotics from Kress and van Leeuwen and pragmatism perspective from Peirce. The data of this research were collected from @lorealparis instagram posts which were related only on lipstick products. The data chosen purposively were collected and analyzed using four steps from Bezemer and Jewitt: collecting and logging, viewing, sampling, transcribing and analyzing. The result of this study shows that icon, index and symbol in the data represent women stereotypically as professional women, sexually powerful, and object of beauty which makes them looks equal and confidence regardless of their skin color and body size. This research also shows that @lorealparis lipstick product advertisement has empowered women to use their attractiveness as the power to conquer obstacles and injustice.Keywords: semiotic, advertisement poster, L'Oreal Paris lipstick products, women empowerment