semiotics essay
Modern society is rich with images which are used in many different ways throughout the world. These images carry with them social meanings and myths.
“Semiotics, or semiology, is the study of signs, symbols, and signification. It is the study of how meaning is created, not what it is.” (Semiotic terminology 2001, p.1)
Through analysing the image semiology allows a cultural researcher to investigate the hidden social myths within texts and discover their shared meanings. This essay explains some of the terminology used in semiotics and the ideologies behind this image. The essay demonstrates how semiology works through analysing the image and reveals that women, perhaps choose to objectify themselves in order to achieve society’s unrealistic standard of feminine beauty. Semiotics is a useful tool used to expose and explore the ‘common sense’ myths and ideologies of how the world works.
It is important to define some of the terminology used in semiotics before beginning to analyse the image.
“Signifier: any material thing that signifies, e.g., words on a page, a facial expression, an image. Signified: the concept that a signifier refers to.” (Semiotic terminology 2001, p.1) The signifier and the signified together create a sign. An example of how signs are created using signifiers and the signified within the image is the woman’s hand positioning, facing away from the body and being leant on, (signifier), and submission being the concept the signifier is referring to, (signified.)
Denotations are: “The most basic or literal meaning of a sign…” (Semiotic terminology 2001, p.1) Some denotations in the image are: a thin female, a small bikini, blonde hair.
According to Erkki Huhtamo (2003, p.5) connotation is the “…additional cultural meanings we can also find from the image or text.”
Huhtamo (2003) further defines anchorage as “text which directs the reader through the signifieds [signs] of the image (towards a meaning chosen in advance.) It “anchors” the
“Semiotics, or semiology, is the study of signs, symbols, and signification. It is the study of how meaning is created, not what it is.” (Semiotic terminology 2001, p.1)
Through analysing the image semiology allows a cultural researcher to investigate the hidden social myths within texts and discover their shared meanings. This essay explains some of the terminology used in semiotics and the ideologies behind this image. The essay demonstrates how semiology works through analysing the image and reveals that women, perhaps choose to objectify themselves in order to achieve society’s unrealistic standard of feminine beauty. Semiotics is a useful tool used to expose and explore the ‘common sense’ myths and ideologies of how the world works.
It is important to define some of the terminology used in semiotics before beginning to analyse the image.
“Signifier: any material thing that signifies, e.g., words on a page, a facial expression, an image. Signified: the concept that a signifier refers to.” (Semiotic terminology 2001, p.1) The signifier and the signified together create a sign. An example of how signs are created using signifiers and the signified within the image is the woman’s hand positioning, facing away from the body and being leant on, (signifier), and submission being the concept the signifier is referring to, (signified.)
Denotations are: “The most basic or literal meaning of a sign…” (Semiotic terminology 2001, p.1) Some denotations in the image are: a thin female, a small bikini, blonde hair.
According to Erkki Huhtamo (2003, p.5) connotation is the “…additional cultural meanings we can also find from the image or text.”
Huhtamo (2003) further defines anchorage as “text which directs the reader through the signifieds [signs] of the image (towards a meaning chosen in advance.) It “anchors” the