De/constructing Feminist-Ideology: A Multimodal Analysis of Disney Animated Movies’ Posters

Abstract

In this ultra-modern age of 3-D technology, visual language has become aprevalent and pervasive phenomenon. The use of visual image/imagery is obvious in almost every field of our modern life i.e., fashion, food, advertising, film, art, and entertainment, etc. Fascinated by the omnipresence of the visual image/imagery, in general; and being curious about its deliberate use,the present study aims to investigate the maneuvering of visual language in promoting the feminist ideologies in the field of Movie Advertising. More specifically, its main objective is to confirm the application of the multimodal social semiotic approach as proposed by Kress and van Leeuwen (2006). For this purpose, three Disney animated movie posters (i.e., Moana, 2016; Brave, 2012; & The Princess and the Frog, 2009) have been analyzed by employing Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2006) model of multimodality as an analytical tool and the feminist ideas of Julia Kristeva and Simon de Beauvoir (1949) as a general theoretical framework.To validate the findings of semiotic analysis, the researchers have also utilized Kruger’s (2000) model to analyze the data gathered through conducting two focus group discussions among the students of linguistics and other disciplines. The analysis of the data reveals that there isstrengthening evidence of the maneuvering of the visual language, and has corroborated the operative power of Kress and van Leeuwen’s brand of social semiotics.