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A Semiotic Analysis of the Objectification and Sexualization of Women in East Asia: Exploring the Role of Fashion Magazine
- 1 Emory University
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Abstract
The media has, for decades, been a tool through which the objectification and sexualization of women have been perpetuated. The research question pertains to whether East Asian magazines also encourage the perception of women as sexual objects. This research investigated four East Asian magazines, namely, VIVI, Korean Allure, Chinese Beauty, and Chinese ELLE, using the semiotic analysis to determine the extent to which the cover models’ clothing style and make-ups were used to sexualize and objectify East Asian women. Although some countries like Korea have tried to eliminate women's fetishization, others still insist on promoting sexualized images of women to protect their magazine sales and because of the power of the male gaze. The author argued that fashion magazine should be used more efficiently as a platform where women are empowered to express themselves outside the stereotypical sexualization and objectification of women perpetrated by the male gaze.
Keywords
semiotics, sexualization, male gaze, fashion magazine, objectification
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Cite this article
Wang,M. (2021). A Semiotic Analysis of the Objectification and Sexualization of Women in East Asia: Exploring the Role of Fashion Magazine. Communications in Humanities Research,1,36-44.
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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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Volume title: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries (ICEIPI 2021), Part 2
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