semiotics
...oth images make the viewer want to be in that place. This ad was taken out of a Maxim magazine. Maxim magazine is a men’s magazine and is purchased mostly by teenagers and young adults. Therefore it is very logical that the sexual approach is used by Winston. Most teenage guys and young men would like to be on a tropical beach with a beautiful young woman on top of them. That is the first and foremost sign used in the ad but there are also many others. “Every sign is composed of a signifier, that is, the image, object or sound itself-the part of the sign that has a material form-and the signified, the concept it represents” (Channels of Discourse Reassembled. The University of North Carolina Press, 1992. pg. 33). Each sign in the article has its own meaning and purpose. The most obvious sign are the two characters in the middle of the page. One is a beautiful, curvy young woman and the other is a good-looking guy with a good body. Their positioning is very significant; the woman has a bikini top on so a portion of her breasts is visible and she is holding down the guy down by his wrists with her hands. The guy is lying down with no shirt on and with his arms held down over his head. They both have big smiles on their faces as if they’re having a great time and are ready to take things a bit further. Next to the two in the center of the page are the words, “hostile takeover” in bold print. The word hostile is defined as, “having an intimidating, antagonistic or offensive nature” (www.dictionary.com). In the ad the woman is on top of the man in an intimidating but playful manner. The word takeover is defined as, “The act or an instance of assuming control or management of or responsibility for something” (www.dictionary.com). In this case the woman is assuming control over the man by restraining his arms with her hands and her position on top of him. This is a reflection of today’s culture and the sexual environment which exists in American society. Now more than ever are woman seen as sexual beings. It is no longer custom for a woman to play the part of the sexual prey. Women in today’s culture are considered more of the sexual aggressor as men. Not too long ago women were not considered to be the more sexual, having sex wasn’t something to be rushed into. Nowadays sex isn’t so forbidden for young women and its no secret that women often times want it more than men and having the woman on top of the man signifies that women are the more sexual of the two genders. At the top of the page is the slogan for Winston, “Leave the Bull Behind,” referring to the hassles that people face everyday of their lives. In other words, leave reality behind, set your mind and body free with a Winston, escape all of your troubles and enjoy yourself. The printed messages, the position of the two people and the environment that the scene is set in depicts some kind of a secret sexual fantasyland. The background of the ad plays a considerable part in setting the scene. Its dusk, the sun is barely visible and the angle of the sun projects a shadowy blanket over the man and woman. The shadows convey a more intimate setting. When one thinks of a sexual environment it is usually not well lit or bright but dimmed down to provide more intimacy. The scene is set, sunset on a tropical island and the ocean is tranquil almost asleep, no one around but two good-looking young people positioned in a very sexual way, they’ve left the “bull” behind and she is about to embark on a hostile takeover of the guy’s body. For a young ma...