Semiotic Analysis Of DKNY, Harper's Bazaar
Assessment Item 2: Semiotic Analysis of DKNY, Harper's Bazaar, Jan/Feb, 2012, p. 35.
Signs and Sign Systems
The DKNY advertisement (DKNY, 2012, p. 35. ) is comprised of a woman holding a green apple with a bite taken out of it. She stands in the background of a bottle of DKNY perfume. Atop the apple is the products name ‘golden delicious’. Beneath this is the phrase ‘the new fragrance for women’. The bottom of the page shows several green apples and among them a perfume bottle.
If a text is a combination of signs (Thwaites et. al. 2002, p. 77) and a sign is anything that can produce meaning (Thwaites et. al. 2002, p. 9), the DKNY advertisement is a piece of text . However, unlike with other signs it’s purpose is not to refer us to anything else, but to produce meaning by drawing on our cultural values through sign systems. A “signifier”, as defined by Thwaites is the effect a sign has as the reader see’s or hears it, it’s sensory mental impression. This in turn creates an abstract …show more content…
An oppositional reading goes against the meanings and looks for alternative meanings in the text by deconstructing its signs. (Thwaites et. al. 2002, p. 92). The reader does not aspire to be like the women in the advertisement, she does not wish to ‘have it all’ in the sense that the advertisement is portraying it. The reader understands that a luxury perfume is probably not a natural product, and will not alter their appearance, health or lifestyle. An oppositional reading could see the advertisement as a sexist image trying to impose a set of guidelines on females to attract men, pushing aside those who do not possess the correct appearance. An oppositional reading could take the image of the apple, and reject it. It aligns strongly with fairy tales and the myth of females being unable to resist
Signs and Sign Systems
The DKNY advertisement (DKNY, 2012, p. 35. ) is comprised of a woman holding a green apple with a bite taken out of it. She stands in the background of a bottle of DKNY perfume. Atop the apple is the products name ‘golden delicious’. Beneath this is the phrase ‘the new fragrance for women’. The bottom of the page shows several green apples and among them a perfume bottle.
If a text is a combination of signs (Thwaites et. al. 2002, p. 77) and a sign is anything that can produce meaning (Thwaites et. al. 2002, p. 9), the DKNY advertisement is a piece of text . However, unlike with other signs it’s purpose is not to refer us to anything else, but to produce meaning by drawing on our cultural values through sign systems. A “signifier”, as defined by Thwaites is the effect a sign has as the reader see’s or hears it, it’s sensory mental impression. This in turn creates an abstract …show more content…
An oppositional reading goes against the meanings and looks for alternative meanings in the text by deconstructing its signs. (Thwaites et. al. 2002, p. 92). The reader does not aspire to be like the women in the advertisement, she does not wish to ‘have it all’ in the sense that the advertisement is portraying it. The reader understands that a luxury perfume is probably not a natural product, and will not alter their appearance, health or lifestyle. An oppositional reading could see the advertisement as a sexist image trying to impose a set of guidelines on females to attract men, pushing aside those who do not possess the correct appearance. An oppositional reading could take the image of the apple, and reject it. It aligns strongly with fairy tales and the myth of females being unable to resist