Deconstructing the Metaphor of Feminine Idealism: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Pakistani Adverts

Abstract

Fairclough (1994) claims that language is not only a tool of communication but also constructs social interactions and meaning in specific contexts. Advertisement is one of the most effective and influential genre in non-literary texts which informs, persuades and impacts its audience in a limited time frame. Impact can be equally positive or negative on the target audience but it is more dependent on the ideological representation through signs and symbols portrayed in it. In the present study, two Pakistani advertisements have been analyzed through Fairclough’s (1994) 3-Dimensional Approach, which suggests that a text along with its embedded ideology is constructed to create its own social domain. The findings exposed that adverts are the main source to bring cultural change and ideological shift about a woman in society. Fashion Trends are adopted and eradicated as suggested in ads so it acts like an opinion-maker and compliment to shape the physical appearance of a woman apart of what society believes in her on regional and religious grounds. The conclusion suggests that the government and related bodies must have a check on ill-considerations to produce such content which may cultivate some unethical norms in the society. Also, unlike men, women are negatively portrayed and objectified in multiple ways in media campaigns.