Unsur Semiotik dalam Wacana Iklan Kecantikan (Semiotic Elements in the Discourse of Beauty Advertisements)

Abstract

Dalam wacana iklan kecantikan wanita, unsur semiotik merupakan elemen yang paling penting dan berperanan besar dalam menyampaikan konsep dan mesej mengenai sesuatu produk yang ingin diiklankan. Imej visual dikatakan lebih efektif dan lebih memberi makna daripada seribu perkataan dan memainkan peranan yang amat penting bagi menarik perhatian pengguna dan dalam masa yang sama sebagai alat yang membentuk hubungan dialektikal antara pewacana dan khalayak. Dalam masyarakat Jepun yang homogen, monolitik dan monoetnik, penelitian menunjukkan bahawa terdapat intervensi pengaplikasian imej wanita kaukasia Oksidental dalam penghasilan wacana iklan produk kecantikan di Jepun. Makalah ini membincangkan mekanisme unsur semiotik yang berkiblatkan ideologi kecantikan dari Barat yang dimanfaatkan dalam 23 teks iklan produk kecantikan wanita dalam bahasa Jepun. Analisis adalah berdasarkan pendekatan analisis wacana, kaedah Fairclough (2001). Penginterpretasian menunjukkan bahawa pewacana telah memanfaatkan semaksimum mungkin nilai, imej serta stereotaip etnobudaya yang positif dan berprestij tinggi yang dibawa oleh negara-negara Barat. Keghairahan wanita Jepun dalam meniru gaya wanita kaukasia Oksidental yang dianggap sebagai ‘simbol budaya dunia’ dan ‘kecantikan universal’ dari segi berpakaian, cara solekan, dandanan rambut, bentuk fizikal raut wajah dan tubuh badan dimanfaatkan sebaik mungkin oleh pewacana dalam mencetus, membina dan menanam ideologi kecantikan oksidental bagi mempengaruhi, menarik perhatian dan minat wanita Jepun terhadap sesuatu produk kecantikan.

Kata kunci: Semiotik; media cetak majalah; bahasa Jepun; analisis wacana; wanita Kaukasia Oksidental

ABSTRACT

In the discourse of women’s beauty product advertisements, the elements of semiotics are the most important and play a huge role in communicating the concept and message about a product that is to be advertised. Visual image is said to be more effective and more meaningful than a thousand words, simaltenously plays a very important role in attracting the consumers’ attention and as a tool to form a dialectical relationship between the discourser and the public. In the homogenous, monolithic and monoethnic Japanese society, research shows that there are interventions of Occidental Caucasian women’s image application in the creation of discourse of beauty product advertisements in Japan. This article discusses the mechanism of semiotic elements that is oriented towards Western ideology of beauty which is exploited in 23 texts of women’s beauty product advertisements in Japanese language. Analysis is based on Fairclough’s framework of discourse analysis. Interpretation shows that the discourser has utilised as maximal as possible, the values, image as well as the positive and prestigious etnocultural stereotypes brought by the Western countries. The enthusiasm of Japanese women in imitating the style of Occidental Caucasian women which is considered as the ‘symbol of world culture’ and ‘universal beauty’ in terms of dressing, make up, hair styling, facial and bodily physical features is utilised as best as possible by the discourser in creating, developing and instilling the ideology of occidental beauty in order to influence, and to attract the attention and interest of Japanese women towards a beauty product.

Keywords: Semiotics; magazine print media; Japanese language; discourse analysis; occidental Caucasian women