Femvertising: A Multimodal Discourse Study of Female Video Advertisements from the Perspective of Visual Grammar

Abstract

Femvertising (female empowerment advertising) has garnered significant attention in contemporary mass media. It is both a multimodal discourse and feminist discourse embedding complex layers of feminist meanings within its text. The complexity of meanings is due to the message delivered in advertisement which is not only used verbal language but visual image as well that work together as a unit of meaning. Under the guidance of the Visual Grammar theory of Kress & Van Leeuwen, this paper conducts a qualitative and quantitative multimodal analysis of the femvertising, to look at any multimodal elements which comprise the femvertising and how these elements express meanings. The results suggest that femvertising effectively conveys representational, interactive, and compositional meanings. Despite its diverse manifestations, femvertising represents a conduit for deeper insights into the intersection of visual and linguistic elements, but also contributes to a broader comprehension of feminist perspectives, enriching discussions on social cognition, cultural identity, and the dynamics of advertising.

Keywords: Visual Grammar, Femvertising, Multimodal Discourse

DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/101-03

Publication date: April 30^th 2024