The socialist era was a time when women truly made their mark in history and consumerism became a key part of society. In my thesis, I researched the representation of women in household appliance advertisements in the magazine Naša žena during the socialist period. The aim of the research was to determine how advertisements shaped societal roles of women, how images of women changed, and how the concept of femininity was constructed through different periods of socialism. Using semiotic analysis, I examined the visual, textual, and symbolic representations of women in advertisements from 1960 to 1990. I found that advertisements primarily depicted women as housewives, mothers, and wives, reinforcing traditional gender roles. At the same time, the advertisements promoted the modernization of households and the use of contemporary appliances, contributing to the idealization of the image of the modern housewife who efficiently manages household tasks with modern household appliances. The main findings indicate that advertisements played a crucial role in constructing femininity and shaping consumer trends in socialist society.
|