De/Construction of Gender Stereotypes: A Semiological Discourse Analysis of Electronic Media Food Advertisements

There are various means of ideological investment, and electronic media commercials are among the best sites to invest in ideology for long-lasting effects. At present, food advertisements have become a popular genre to de/construct gendered ideologies because, most often, electronic media discourses mirror prevailing social reality in a particular context. The current research aims to decode the linguistic and semiotic content of food company advertisements. The data for the present study were collected from food advertisements of the Dalda Company from 2021 to 2022. The food advertisements of the mentioned company, which were aired during the mentioned time span, have been linguistically and semiotically analysed with respect to the concept of gender de/construction. The present study utilizes an integrated research approach that has been devised by drawing upon the research models of Kress (2006), Barthes (1974), and Kruger (2000). The rationale behind using the triangulation technique is that the data used in the study comprises three modes: linguistic, semiotic and Focus Group Discussions. The Focus Group Discussions have been conducted and analysed to validate the researcher’s findings of semiotic analysis. The study contends that the concept of patriarchal norms and observance of gender stereotypes has been brought out through the analysis of the collected data. Besides, the study highlights that electronic media advertisements are one of the important sites to de/construct existing gender stereotypes. The concept of word-picture conjunction has been deftly used to propagate desired ideology to affirm patriarchal norms.