Women’s Portrayal In Pakistani Print Advertisements: A Comparative Study Based On Semiotics

This study investigates how Pakistani still advertisements portray women and construct certain ideology. This qualitative research employs semiotic method to analyze the content. With stratified sampling technique, six advertisements have been selected all together that appeared in different magazines and in social media campaign of different products during the year 2019 taken mainly from Duniya Sunday Magazine, Weekly Akhbar-e-Jahan and social media pages of particular products. The selected advertisements analyzed the representation of Pakistani women in given time period with the help of semiotic analysis, whereas, the psychological lens is used to unveil the meaning and message constructed by specific signs within the advertisements. This study has examined the advertisers’ practice in depicting and constituting female identity in Pakistan, where most of the advertisements reveal Pakistani women as independent, confident and modern beings. This study will develop inferential and critical comprehension among masses regarding science of signs; also it would be significant for experts and policy makers who can retrieve Pakistani cultural elements while executing advertisements in future.