• RESHMA ROSELINE J
• Dr M Kasirajan

ABSTRACT Media theories examine the reciprocal relationship between media and its audience. Media theory emphasizes the fact that media cannot exist outside the ideological constraints and became constitutive of the very ideology it re-presents. Going in accordance with the theory one cannot dismiss the influence of the encoded messages projected through the media in reinforcing the current ideology or creating a new one. Television advertisements provide a great platform in analysing gender stereotyping in a society. The objective of this research is to examine how gender stereotyping is represented in advertisements. Stuart Hall’s theory will act as a methodology to analyse it. According to Stuart Hall, the television sign is a complex (connotative) sign and it is made up of two types of discourse: visual and aural. The visual sign takes on active ideological dimension at the level of connotation. On scrutinizing advertisements on close quarters one can decode a connotative level of gender stereotyping from a different angle. For instance, women are often showcased as someone obsessed with domestic work or an object of sex-appeal. The finding is that gender stereotyping exists in various advertisements; however a wave of change is visible in certain others.

Advertisement, Stereotyping, Connotation, Encoding and decoding

"IN FOCUS: DECODING THE CONNOTATION", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 3, page no.52-55, March-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1903808.pdf

"IN FOCUS: DECODING THE CONNOTATION", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 3, page no. pp52-55, March-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1903808.pdf