Critical Discourse Analysis of Wechat Stores’ Advertisements in Cosmetics and Skin-Care Products

Abstract

The WeChat moment advertisements (WMAs), which were commonly utilized to promote cosmetics and skin-care products in WeChat stores, might have an impact on how women perceive themselves, their self-esteem, and their interpersonal connections. By adopting critical discourse analysis, this study analyzed the textual features, discourse practice, and social contexts of WMAs in cosmetics and skin-care product advertisements. The results revealed that numerous contradictory ideologies existed in the WMAs. Words and sentences that indicated both closeness and distance with female customers would lead them into a puzzlement of self-value, mixing their definitions of independence and being loved. In this process of perceiving these WMAs, women might experience an inner struggle of spending money for the pride brought by skin-care and cosmetic products, which was further reinforced by the social context that reshaped women’s pursuit of beauty.