Male Representations and Transition in Masculinity: A Semiotic Analysis of Old and Modern Indian Print Advertisements

Abstract

Study of the history and nature of masculinity as a socially constructed concept may not affirm an idea or a definition, but a set of conflicting definitions and images that are consistently changing over time. Research on gender role suggests that the conception of masculinity has evolved over time in response to social and historical events (Brod, 1987; Kimmel, 1987).The visual representations of masculinity in print advertisements have also witnessed variations over time, suggesting shifts in social beliefs about males. This paper aims to understand the transition in the images of masculinity by studying the male representations in old and modern Indian print advertisements. Five advertisements, each from the pre-noughties and post noughties era, were selected, through a hand search of advertisements online, and analysed using semiotic analyses. The findings suggest that there is a visible transition in the idea of what constitutes masculinity. The older advertisements focused on hegemonic representations of masculinity with style, success, and power as being strong indicators of masculinity, whereas the modern advertisements emphasized male bodies, anti-femininity, playboy images and usage of gendered products as signs of masculinity and the achievement of the same.