This week, the lecture revolves around semiotics concept, the study of signs that explains how people are making sense of an image. Message understanding can be subjective as it depends on a person’s experience, values, beliefs and cultural backgrounds that make up their own takeaway.   

A sign is consisted of two parts: signifier and signified. While signifier are things that attributes meaning to a word or image, signified is the elicited concept to each audience (Middlemost, Lecture Week 3). In other words, Barther (cited in Fiske and Jenkins 2010, p. 80) has defined signifier as denotation, which is adverted to the “commonsense, obvious meaning of the sign”, and connotation stands for the signified in which interpretation is affected by individual “feelings or emotions […] and the values of their culture”.     

To understand more of the theory, I would like to demonstrate it through a photo campaign by Đẹp Magazine. 

At first glance, it appears to me that the signifiers include picture of Miss Vietnam H’Hen Niê and the caption saying “True Beauty. No Flash”. These give me a hint that this campaign is trying showcase the authentic beauty of a person whom could probably be a celebrity behind the scene. 

Coming closer to what is underneath, no makeup and untouched photo of the pageant relates to me as another side of her which is opposite to the glamour often depicted by media. As public image plays an integral part to the success of a star, it is uncommon that they would appear on media medium without being well-groomed and carefully retouched. On the other hand, ideology, explained by Fiske and Jenkins in their publication, refers to “a system of beliefs characteristic of a particular class or group” (2010). The connotation attached to the image has highlighted the ideology in Vietnamese society that associates fame with luxury, wealth and flawless beauty.   

• 

• 

Overall, the magazine photo leaves a message that what is represented by media tells only a part of story. Famous personalities are just like others. They also have their vulnerabilities and imperfection that though usually veneered, speak up their truest self and feelings.   

From another perspective, there is a possibility that the picture could be decoded in various ways. Given that the audience have no knowledge of H’Hen Niê as a well-known character, the message could be about unconventional beauty perception that disregards social norms of attractiveness. For example, a charismatic woman should have a fair plumping skin with long hair while the model possesses the reverse. Another likelihood for the interpretation would be standards of modern beauty if reader shares a different ideology of what defines a woman’s charm.   

Regardless of which case, it is important to be aware that each person has unique glimpse at matters for their understanding is influenced by their “ideological position” (Middlemost, Lecture Week 3). Media practitioners, therefore, should be mindful of individual, cultural and social variants that might affect the interpretation of their target audience.    

REFERENCES:  

Chandler, D 1994, Semiotics for Beginners  

Fiske, J & Jenkins, H 2010, Introduction to Communication Studies: 3rd Edition. Routledge: London.  

Middlemost, R 2019, Lecture Week 3   

Tạp chí Đẹp. (2019). True Beauty: Em đẹp không cần son phấn – Tạp chí Đẹp. [online] Available at: https://dep.com.vn/true-beauty/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2019].