Real men do wear mascara: advertising discourse and masculine identity

Abstract

During the past two decades, the traditional concept of masculinity has been challenged by the pervasive spread of metrosexual attitudes and practices through Western cultures. This article examines an extreme aspect of this trend through a multimodal reading of an online advertisement for male mascara. Using social semiotic theory and methodologies based on functional grammars, the analysis reveals that the advertisement's producers are treading a fine line in their verbal and visual discursive choices, trying to create a dialectic that encourages men to be consumers of feminine-style products while also allowing them to maintain the qualities that have traditionally been gendered as masculine.

Keywords:

• masculinity
• metrosexuality
• multimodal
• social semiotics
• systemic functional linguistics
• visual communications

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Claire Harrison

Email: [email protected]