Mohammed Kareem; Elham Qadir
Abstract
This paper critically explores the multimodal discourses that underpin the representation of women in English and Kurdish magazine cover pages (MCP) with a view to determine the ...
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This paper critically explores the multimodal discourses that underpin the representation of women in English and Kurdish magazine cover pages (MCP) with a view to determine the similarities and differences in the way women are represented or misrepresented in this under researched media genre. The paper adopts a descriptive qualitative method and applies a critical multimodal discourse analysis approach to answer four broad questions: 1) What ideologies, identities, and values are buried in discourses on women in English and Kurdish MCPs both visually and textually? 2) Are women represented positively or negatively in English and Kurdish MCPs 3) Are there intersemiotic complementarity between the visual and textual representations? 4) Are there any similarities and differences between the English and Kurdish MCPs in these regards? The results show that in both languages and cultures, with some minor differences, women are associated with glamour and acts of seduction through conventional female features via which they gain and maintain social power, rather than aligning them with rational and intellectual acts. Women are, furthermore, misrepresented as being commodified as they are advanced as accessories to draw the viewers' attention. These discourses on women, which are not overtly articulated, are profoundly rooted in the visual and linguistic resources employed to depict women in MCPs.
