Multimodal Classification of Sexist Advertisements

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Benchmark dataset of memes with text transcriptions for automatic detection of multi-modal misogynistic content

In this paper we present a benchmark dataset generated as part of a project for automatic identification of misogyny within online content, which focuses in particular on memes. The benchmark here described is composed of 800 memes collected from the most popular social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit, and consulting websites dedicated to collection and creation of memes. To gather misogynistic memes, specific keywords that refer to misogynistic content have been considered as search criterion, considering different manifestations of hatred against women, such as body shaming, stereotyping, objectification and violence. In parallel, memes with no misogynist content have been manually downloaded from the same web sources. Among all the collected memes, three domain experts have selected a dataset of 800 memes equally balanced between misogynistic and non-misogynistic ones. This dataset has been validated through a crowdsourcing platform, involving 60 subjects for the labelling process, in order to collect three evaluations for each instance. Two further binary labels have been collected from both the experts and the crowdsourcing platform, for memes evaluated as misogynistic, concerning aggressiveness and irony. Finally for each meme, the text has been manually transcribed. The dataset provided is thus composed of the 800 memes, the labels given by the experts and those obtained by the crowdsourcing validation, and the transcribed texts. This data can be used to approach the problem of automatic detection of misogynistic content on the Web relying on both textual and visual cues, facing phenomenons that are growing every day such as cybersexism and technology-facilitated violence

Hacia la deconstrucción de la violencia simbólica en una muestra de discurso publicitario. Una perspectiva crítica discursiva

This article examines the representation of women in the advertisements used by Dolce & Gabbana, in order to observe the examples of symbolic violence associated with women. The main objectives of this study are: 1) to deconstruct the main visual strategies used by Dolce & Gabbana to represent women in its newsletter; and 2) to characterize the main types of symbolic violence in the texts analysed. Data were collected from the newsletter used by Dolce & Gabbana to advertise their products through the internet from January to December 2016–19. The data are analysed based on the critical discourse analysis model of social actors proposed by van Leeuwen (2008) and Kress & van Leeuwen’s (2006) models of visual grammar.Este artículo examina la representación de las mujeres en los anuncios utilizados por Dolce & Gabbana, para observar los ejemplos de violencia simbólica asociada con las mujeres. Los objetivos principales de este estudio son: 1) deconstruir las principales estrategias visuales utilizadas por Dolce & Gabbana para representar a las mujeres en su boletín; y 2) caracterizar los principales tipos de violencia simbólica en los textos analizados. Los datos se recopilaron de las circulares informativas utilizadas por Dolce & Gabbana para anunciar sus productos a través de Internet de enero a diciembre de 2016-19. Los datos se analizan según el modelo de análisis crítico del discurso de los actores sociales propuesto por van Leeuwen (2008) y el modelo de gramática visual de Kress & van Leeuwen (2006)

Gender, Advertising and Ethics: Marketing Cuba

Online advertisements are representations of ethnographic knowledge and sites of cultural production, social interaction and individual experience. Based on a critical discourse analysis of an online Iberia Airlines advertisement and a series of blogs, this paper reveals how the myths and fantasies privileged within the discourses of the advertising and travel industries entwine to exoticise and eroticise Cuba. The paper analyses how constructions of Cuba are framed by its colonial past, merging the feminine and the exotic in a soft primitivism. Tourism is Cuba’s largest foreign exchange earner and a significant link between the island and the global capitalist system. These colonial descriptions of Cuba create a rhetoric of desire that entangles Cuba and its women in a discourse of beauty, conquest and domination and have actual consequences for tourism workers and dream economies, in this case reinforcing the oppression of Afro-Cuban women by stereotyping and objectifying them

Sexualisation of Women in Nigerian Advertorial English Medium Bill Board

This paper surveys sexism in English, citing selected communicative instances in English medium  billboards in Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The photographs and written inscriptions on the selected billboards depict the stereotypical representation of women as weaker species and exertion of men power over women. This was achieved through a critical discourse analysis of visual and verbal language discourses in ten randomly selected English medium billboards selected as sources of gathering data for this research. In Nigeria, billboards are meant for public announcements and advertisements. They also convey information about products and company services. Findings of this research among others reveal that there is asymmetrical power relation in terms of dominance and subordination between men and women as demonstrated by the portrayal of men in terms of physical attribute, such as strength, vigor, and a daring ability, as against the portrayal of women in terms of sex appealing, physical attractiveness as well as concerned with trivial, unserious and playful things. The study advocates for equal treatment of men and women without unnecessary sex differentiation

GENDER CONSTRUCTION IN VISUAL IMAGES IN TEXTBOOKS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract: In the Indonesian context, little has been done to raise awareness of political correctness in gender matters in school textbooks.  As an attempt to fill this gap, I conducted a textual analysis on four English language textbooks used in Indonesian primary schools.  The focus of the study was on the pictorial texts accompanying the linguistic ones.  The ‘Visual Grammar’, developed by Kress and van Leeuwen, was used as the framework of analysis. The results showed that the illustrations accompanying linguistic texts fortified the representations of gender asymmetry.  Females were depicted more dependent than males and were also construed to be admirers of an action carried out by the males. The study recommended conscious efforts to value both genders equally in visualization as meaning construction is multimodal. Keywords: gender construction, visual grammar, pictorial texts, EFL textbooks KONSTRUKSI GENDER DALAM CITRA VISUAL PADA BUKU TEKS UNTUK SISWA SEKOLAH DASAR Abstrak:Di Indonesia, upaya penyadaran pentingnya isu penyetaraan gender dalam buku ajar sekolah masih belum banyak dilakukan. Untuk itu, penelitian ini dilakukan sebagai salah satu cara penyadaran isu gender dengan menginvestigasi representasi gender dalam buku ajar. Penelitian ini menggunakan analisis teks terhadap empat buku ajar yang digunakan di sekolah dasar. Fokus analisisnya adalah pada gambar ilustrasi yang menyertai teks tertulis seperti bagian bacaan. Gambar tersebut dianalisis dengan menggunakan teori ‘Visual Grammar’ yang dikembangkan oleh Kress dan van Leeuween. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa gambar-gambar tersebut merepresentasikan ketidaksetaraan gender. Perempuan digambarkan sebagai sosok yang tergantung pada orang lain dibandingkan laki-laki yang mandiri dan mereka berlaku sebagai pengagum pekerjaan yang dilakukan laki-laki. Berdasarkan hasil temuannya, penelitian ini merekomendasikan upaya yang lebih serius dalam menampilkan peran gender yang seimbang dan tidak hanya ditampilkan dalam teks tulis namun juga dalam gambar karena pada dasarnya makna dikonstruksi secara multimodal. Katakunci:konstruksi gender, visual grammar, teks gambar

Multimodal analysis of gender identities in the sports sections of newspapers. The case of the English version of El País

Trabajo de fin de Grado. Grado en Estudios Ingleses. Curso académico 2022-2023Este estudio explora la influencia del discurso en la formación de percepciones de género y la importancia de aplicar una perspectiva multimodal en el análisis del discurso. El discurso, como práctica social, construye realidades y perspectivas a través del lenguaje, impactando en las experiencias e identidades de las personas. En este sentido, el Análisis Crítico del Discurso (ACD) expone las herramientas que utiliza el poder para construir y naturalizar determinadas realidades, en particular las injusticias sociales y los estereotipos de género. Centrado en la columna deportiva del diario El País, este proyecto realiza un análisis multimodal de artículos publicados entre 2017 y 2022 para examinar de forma comparativa la representación de los hombres y las mujeres deportistas y la presencia de estereotipos de género tanto en el texto escrito como en las imágenes. Al descubrir y desafiar estos discursos, este proyecto de investigación contribuye a la lucha por la igualdad de género en el deporte y la sociedad en general.His study explores the influence of discourse on the formation of gender perceptions and the importance of applying a multimodal perspective in discourse analysis. Discourse, as a social practice, builds realities and perspectives through language, impacting people's experiences and identities. In this sense, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) exposes the tools used by power to build and naturalize certain realities, particularly social injustices and gender stereotypes. Focused on the sports column of the newspaper El País, this project carries out a multimodal analysis of articles published between 2017 and 2022 to comparatively examine the representations of sportsmen and sportswomen and the presence of gender stereotypes both in the written text and in the images. By uncovering and challenging these discourses, the present research project contributes to the fight for gender equality in sports and society in general

Ethical issues in the marketing of skin lightening products

Skin lightening products are used medically for the treatment of a range of skin disorders, however a major market has developed in their use for cosmetic purposes, particularly in countries where darker skin tones are prevalent. Many major multinational brands are active in the sector and high percentages of women reportedly use the products daily. In this paper we analyse a number of serious product safety issues relating to this sector, such as the use of mercury and other toxic substances in some products. We discuss a wide range of ethical issues relating to the marketing of products in the sector and the need for more consistent and effective regulation of the sector overall