The Image of Female Ideal Body in Advertisements of the Slimming Product in Indonesia: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Ni Made Savitri Paramita Ni Made Savitri Paramita,Eka Marthanty Indah Lestari Eka Marthanty Indah Lestari

doi:10.32996/ijllt.2022.5.3.3

Ni Made Savitri Paramita Ni Made Savitri Paramita, Eka Marthanty Indah Lestari Eka Marthanty Indah Lestari

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2022.5.3.3

Copy DOI

Abstract

Slimming products have been continuously produced, while advertisements used for marketing these products increase in number. Advertisement of these slimming products shows an image of the ideal female body that is promised to be achieved if consumers use the offered products. Advertisement of these slimming products becomes one of the facilities to spread and maintain an ideology of beauty in society. The ideology can influence and shape the perspective of society related to beauty stereotypes that are later made a benchmark in assessing a person. Many people are disadvantaged by these beauty stereotypes spread in society. This research aims to reveal the construction of the image of the ideal female body in an advertisement of the slimming products through three dimensions of Critical Discourse Analysis, as Fairclough (2014) stated. These three dimensions are the text analysis phase, discursive practice analysis phase, and sociocultural praxis analysis phase. Besides analyzing verbal and non-verbal aspects in the selected advertisements, the researcher also interviewed 10 (ten) women to identify the perspective of Indonesian women to the beauty discourse existing in advertisement and society. The results of the study revealed that beauty discourse, as shown in the advertisement, was internalized by women as participants in this research. In this case, discourse related to the ideal female body image is still persistent in society.

Highlights

Slimming products that are distributed in the market keeps increasing every year
Analysis related to verbal and visual aspects was presented in the table to show relevance among sign, signifier, and the signified in the advertisement
Advertisements of the slimming product construct the image of the ideal female body verbally and visually

Summary

Introduction

Slimming products that are distributed in the market keeps increasing every year. Various slimming products include weight-loss drugs, low-calorie milk, slimming tea, low-fat cookies, and slimming gel and cream. Advertisement plays an important role in marketing these products, for persuading or influencing potential consumers. Advertisement creators will deliver information related to the product in such a way as to encourage the thought of prospective consumers for purchasing the offered product. Advertisements of slimming products show women with slim bodies in which their body can be achieved when consuming the product as shown in the advertisement. Besides showing the visual aspect, the advertisement has a slogan that can motivate consumers to support certain brands

Objectives

Results

Conclusion