The Representation of Women through Protein World's Beach Body Advertisement

The Semiotic Analysis of the Protein World’s ‘Beach Body Ready’ Advert
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The Semiotic Analysis of the Protein World’s ‘Beach Body Ready’ Advert
Introduction
Advert Description
On the surface, Protein World'sbeach body ready' advertisement shows a slim tone blond young woman posing in a yellow bikini against a yellow background. At the top right corner is the name of the company responsible for the advertisement: Protein World. At the bottom right corner is three containers that most likely contain the company's products: protein supplements. Directly above the containers, the advertisement consists of the words 'The Weightloss Collection' to typify that the containers' contents are solutions to weight loss problems. However, apart from the woman in question, what standout in the advert is the question 'Are you beach body ready?'. These words are in black capital letters (against the yellow background), with its font dwarfing all the other written elements on the image. At the bottom, directly below the three containers, the advert informs the audience that products are exclusively available online on the company's website. At the top left corner are symbols of social media platforms on which the company is active.
About Protein World
Established in 2012, Protein World specializes in the production of nutritional solutions that help consumers lose weight. The company combines sports nutrition and pharmaceuticals to produce female-friendly sports nutrition for the larger masses (PW, 2021). The company’s products are available in over 74 countries with major market bases in the USA, AE, Australia, and mainland Europe. The company prides itself as nutrition experts, sourcing ingredients from top-quality GMO-free suppliers and producing premium products with quality flavors. Based in the UK, the company's main target market segment is women who seek slender and lean bodies. The company operates on the philosophy of inspiration, being real, working hard, and implores consumers to be the best version of themselves.
Advert Controversy
The advertisement encountered a massive backlash because it was accused of 'body-shaming women.' Over 400 filed complaints suggested that the advertisement was socially irresponsible because its objectified women (Sweney, 2015). Apart from the 400 complaints, over 70,000 online signatures were collected in a petition to stop the campaign. The major complaint was that the very slim, toned model implied that other body shapes were inferior and that the promotion of slimming products using the image was socially irresponsible. Protein World argued that the advert did not imply that everyone should look like the model in its defense. Despite the backlash, the campaign was cleared by the UK adverts watchdog.
Analysis Approach
The campaign is significant because it represents some of the controversial media products in the current society based on cultural differences and biases. Semiotic analysis refers to the study of signs and sign processes based on cultural presentation, language, brands, warning signs, and emojis. Therefore, semiotic analysis is the pursuance of symbolic connotations beyond mere denotation of objects (Coelho & Figueiredo, 2010). Advertisements are sign and are therefore, a vital element of representation in modern societies. Representation engages feelings, attitudes, and emotions. Where differences emerge, representation is bound to cause fear and anxiety beyond the simple comprehension of common sense. As a result, theories are vital in deepening our analysis and understanding of representation in signs such as advertisements. In this semiotic analysis of the mentioned advertisement, I intend to focus on theories by Stuart Hall, Roland Barthes, Adrien Holliday, Richard Dyer, and Edward Said. The intention is to objectively understand the causes of the backlash the advertisement received and its implications, the validity of the opposing arguments, and the implications on the future of advertisement and consumerism.
Connotation and Denotation
Connotation refers to a commonly held emotional or cultural association that a word or phrase means and is often considered positive or negative based on its displeasing or pleasing connection to emotions. On the other hand, denotation is the explicit or literal meaning of an object, phrase, or word. According to Stuart Hall, cultural differences are vital in determining whether denotations and connotations are pleasing or unpleasing, and they often occur in representation (Hall, 1997). They are also influenced by how people represent people or places different from what they are accustomed to. Underlying these representations is the idea of creating and fascination with the 'other.' Based on the American pop culture, representing implies carrying the name of a specific group or area, including neighborhoods, sports teams, or music groups. Among the critical ways of 'representing' are through signs that may include shirts, caps, stickers, and a choice of colors.
Representation is important because it signifies a feeling of belonging and identity. It gives people a common foundation on which family and togetherness are formed. Where differences are involved, however, Stuart notes that representation becomes paradoxical. On the one hand, it is a sign of togetherness and belonging, and therefore, it creates a sense of happiness. Moreover, there would be no meaning to, say, the colors or stickers that people use to 'represent' without the differences. Therefore, representation is only meaningful where differences exist. On the other hand, however, the differences can cause problems. Representation engages feelings, emotions, and attitudes resulting in fear and anxiety to levels inexplicable by common sense (Hall, 1997).
In this aspect, the PW advertisement can have various connotative meanings depending on how an audience perceives it. Each meaning is right, and no meaning, as defined by any audience, should be rejected. From my perspective, the advertisement's thematic meaning is that people ought to prepare appropriately before going to the beach. The beach is a place where an extensive level of nudity is freely expressed, and therefore, people are bound to be judged by how sexy, muscular, toned, or fat they look. In the western culture, slender and tone women are often featured as the best looking in bikinis, the ideal beach attire. Pop culture, therefore, fronts such women in an advertisement through modeling agencies that s...