Comm 4 Semiotic Paper.docx

GROUP 8 Aleta, Anika

COMM- 4 Section 4

Inocentes, Rolando

March 14, 2019

Tocjayao, Suzanne Unson, Kier Zerrudo, Jordan

In 2009, ad agency BBDO Guerrero Manila created a series of advertisements for Marie Claire to campaign for the Reproductive Health Bill. There were 3 images that they released, the first one was a man with a face of a girl sewn on his face, the second a woman with a man’s top head replacing hers, and the last one a woman with a man’s mouth sewed upon hers. According to the ad agency, the main advocacy of the three advertisements was to empower women and to encourage them to speak up for themselves; not needing anyone else to make a decision. This paper would focus on the second advertisement, and would be analyzing it by fleshing out the RH Bill and the social background regarding women during the time, together with the visual elements of the ad: from the colors, the subject model, her expressions, her attire, and her framing as well.

Visual Elements of the Ad The ad shows someone who is presumably a young Filipina. She wears an angry expression on her face (due to her eyebrows pointing down) as she stares directly towards the camera showing her head and upper body. There is no sign of any extravagance in her attire.

She is wearing a simple sando, has no makeup on, and her hair is slightly messy. Meanwhile, the colors are all neutral in the ad, with nothing being bright. This is also reflected on the background, wherein it’s simply in gray. The most striking part about the ad, however, is the grafted top head. The head seemingly looks like one of an old man, with hints of white hair and a wrinkly forehead, which was forcibly put upon the girl’s head. In the lower part of the ad, there is a caption that states “The Reproductive Health Bill. Don’t let someone else decide for you.”.

The simplicity of the subject shows a realistic view of women, showing how they really are without the glamour and shine most ads portray them to have. Using a woman that sports sparkling clothes and expensive makeup would defeat the purpose of the ad as it makes it look as if only the women of the upper class are able to break the stigma. However, by using a woman that doesn’t use an upper class attire, the ad’s influence reaches out to all kinds of women. The neutral colors of the ad supports the realism aspect as well, by not adding bright colors we are given the mood of seeing through unfiltered eyes, of a picture that does not look pleasing to behold.

The text clearly implies that the advertisement is advocating for the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill. A woman was chosen as the main subject of the ad because the RH bill seeks the rights and protection of women as well as their empowerment. Aside from that, the woman being situated in a plain background without any other elements makes the audience focus on the woman, who is the main target of the said ad and the bill. Her mild angry stare towards the

camera is a ‘breaking of the 4th wall’, it’s as if the subject is challenging the female viewers to take a stand and encourage them to exercise their rights.

RH Bill Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10354) is a law in the Philippines that gives assurance to women for guaranteed assistance and better provisions for maternal care and child health, an access to methods of natural and artificial contraception like birth control pills, condoms, IUD (Intrauterine Contraceptive Device), and calendar method and sexual education. According to Clara Rita Padilla of EnGende Rights (a group that advocates women’s rights) in an article in ABS-CBN on Aug. 2010, the reasons of implementing the RH bill are as follows: In order to appease the people who want the RH bill to be passed, to prevent a number of unwanted and unexpected pregnancies, as well as to prevent the mother and child’s deaths from possible complications, to help people (most especially couples) choose responsibly when to have children, and to reduce the number of abortions in the country.

In 2011, a survey conducted by Family Health Survey shows that unwanted pregnancy among teenagers has massively increased over the last 5 years, from 39 per 1,000 teenagers to 54 per 1,000 teenagers and 46% of these unwanted teenage pregnancies ended up in abortion while 15% of the pregnancies resulted to complications due to the lack of maternal care service and knowledge of taking care of their pregnant body. During this time, the Philippines was also part of the top 10 countries that had a huge number of teenage pregnancies, stating that 7 out

of 10 mothers in the country were below 19 years old, as stated from a study by the World Bank.

It was not easy implementing the RH bill due to high profile groups opposing the implementation of the bill. The Catholic Church is one such high profile groups, going heavily against the RH bill that eventually led to a number of rallies with banners bearing “anti RH bill”. Ramon Arguelles, the Batangas Archbishop from July 2004 until February 2017, even compared a 20-year-old gunman killing children to the RH bill that would kill millions of children by simply being signed. The movement and stance of the Catholic Church formed a multitude of misconceptions about RH bill and started accusing it promoting abortion, encouraging premarital sex, and a destroyer of families because of their perceived “misinformation” about family planning. Yet even with immense protests against its implementation, after 12 years of reviewing and reconsideration of the bill it successfully became implemented in 2012.

Ideologies The Philippines has a patriarchal social system. This can be traced back during the period of Spanish colonization where teachings of Christianity and the church were introduced (Medina, 2015). This led to the propagation of misogynistic ideas that reshaped gender roles in the society (Aguja, 2013). Our culture has dictated to us that men are in authority than women in all aspects. The women are treated as the weaker sex and second-class citizens. It revolves around the main ideology that “man is superior to woman, that women are part of men’s

property, and hence, should be controlled by men” (Medina, 2015, p. 14). As a result, this way of thinking hindered women from exercising their advantages and capabilities.

At present, even when women have proven their competency in education and employment, they are still not given equal chance as men. Women are given less opportunities due to what employers think to be a barrier in combining work and family (Shahani, 2015). In 2011, statistics from the Department of Labor and Employment stated that 31% of working age women were excluded from the labor force due to their family or household duties. And if they are employed, they are usually given contractual jobs which are unstable and temporary (Joven, 2018). These situations in our society prove that gender inequality and sexism is real and still exists because of the patriarchal system that has been imbibed in us. This is further illustrated by BBDO’s advertisement for Marie Claire which depicted how men are regarded as more superior than women and that women are not given enough opportunities to decide for themselves.

Based on the visual elements analyzed, it is obvious that Marie Claire magazine indeed showcased the then Reproductive Health bill advertisement in a way that would make their target market, women, think with a critical viewpoint in terms of the choices and actions they make in their reality as females. The photo offered to the audience attempts to break from the norm of men having an upper hand on women, especially in a family situation, and disturbs the unfortunate socially accepted silence of women in the said issue because the advertisement is

not a product at all, it is a guide rather, and to some, a belief, that would be helpful for the continuing rise of women empowerment especially in a Philippine setting.

Patriarchy, a global issue, is tackled in a plain but powerful advertisement. With the help of a creative shot or the advertiser's "big idea", the presence of a man's head sliced and placed on what was supposed to be the woman's, is an offensive sight to women. The picture is a derogatory shot at first glance because it can be seen that men have control over women since the man's head is centered and made to be obvious. But with the audience's good eyes and good minds, along with its caption, it instantly transforms into a structure of resistance, or an anti-patriarchal society movement.

In addition to that, it is portrayed in the image that it is the girl who suffers from the concept of patriarchy. It is her head that is wounded, and not the man's. The man's head is free from any bruise or wound compared to the girl's which is even bleeding. The placement of the man's head was done neatly, and it may be a symbolism of men overpowering women with ease. The wound on just the woman is a symbolism that it is women who suffer the liabilities of being caged by men's opinions and decisions for them, and it is never or rarely the other way around. Marie Claire magazine was successful with the release of the advertisement because in 2009, the year it was published, most Filipino women may have had little idea of the now Reproductive Health law, one reason why the government struggled for twelve years with

passing the bill since it had little support and received a weak push by women for it to become a law in quick timing. There was not much awareness.

Another reason is because at that time, women were viewed as less powerful against men compared to now, wherein women claim the top "spot" with pride and confidence which challenges most people who supports a patriarchal perspective. This is what makes the company a winner, because in a time of devaluing the Filipino women, Marie Claire stands out from not just its competitors but as well as all people who can purchase and see the photo, either those who support patriarchy or not, because it was a rare advertisement, a bold move that other print companies may not have the courage to publish.

Despite the advertisement's effectivity, it may just have had a minor complication. It is a fact that through the series of pictures, its audience can grasp the issue of patriarchy in the country and the importance of the Reproductive Health law which can be a gateway for them to ponder, but was the advertisement really seen enough?

For instance, the lower class has a major role in the making of the Reproductive Health law. This means that an advertisement like what Marie Claire published must be seen mainly by those in the said class. However, because of their financial state, it is clear that they would not buy magazines for entertainment.

Hence, even though the advertisement is for all women, not all women were able to see it because only those in the middle to upper class can afford the price of the magazine. Even though it is a powerful advertisement, its power may have lessened a little because who were supposed to be the main audience lacked access to it.

Apart from the ideologies mentioned, one of the theories that can be applied in the advertisement would be the Gender Schema theory, a psychology-based line of thinking developed by Sandra Bern in 1981. According to her, the behavior of the way children act and think are molded over time to match the culture's already-set ways as soon as they’re able to learn. This includes their ability to interpret information, beliefs formed attitudes crafted into more “gender-appropriate” standards (Cherry, 2019). Most of the time, stimuli end up being subtle and discreet; and while the advertisement is anything but, it does its best to stimulate.

However, this is more of a case where the whole concept of gender appropriation is challenged, as does the incoming of newer generations. The Republic Health law was stuck in limbo for more than a decade, and its approval into an official law is seen as a victory for the Filipino woman. The culture of feminine inferiorism is strongly tied to the Catholic faith, albeit an unintentional one; the idea of letting the common family, especially coming from the mother, was seen as questionable and almost unheard of at the time, and this was already with the lingering idea of the Philippines having one of the best atmospheres for women within Southeast Asian countries.

The placement of the “patches” upon the semblance of the female models seems to be done with symbolism as well: the crown around the head, perhaps acknowledging idea policing when forced to adopt ideologies not their own because of family ties; the mouth, not having the power within the family as is tradition within patriarchal dominance; and the entire face itself, being thrust an unneeded obligation to change one's appearance in accordance to the wishes of immediate relatives.

In conclusion, the relevance of the advertisement to our society today is existent due to the Philippines still being spearheaded by a patriarchal mindset. This is not to put aside advancements in for women empowerment, however, since there have been major strides in that regard. The RH bill being successfully implemented is one such improvement, for it finally gave women the right and the power to decide for themselves and do what they want with their bodies. Another example of a rise in women empowerment is the passing of a bill against catcalling, wherein women now are given the chance to hold someone accountable when being catcalled. Seeing that most victims of catcalling are women, and majority of catcallers are male, it finally gives them a degree of power to stand up for themselves and call them out.

Hopefully, as the years go by, the definition of gender equality will not just be in words but in all means and in all ways, and women would be treated as equally and as objectively as men.

References and Bibliographies

1.) Aguja, H. J. (2013). THE FILIPINO WOMAN: A Gendered History. The Mindanao Forum, 26(1). Retrieved from http://ejournals.ph/form/cite.php?id=7122 2.) Cherry, K. (2019). Gender Schema Theory and Roles in Culture. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-gender-schema-theory-2795205 3.) 'Fight vs RH bill is Catholic Church's biggest challenge'. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2012/12/16/886554/fight-vs-rh-bill-catholicchurchs-biggest-challenge 4.) Joven,

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http://nine.cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/03/07/how-sexism-keeps-filipinaspoor.html 5.) Medina, N. (2015). The Culture of Patriarchy and Its Effects on the Human Rights of Girlchildren in Cagayan de Oro and Claveria, Misamis Oriental: Implications to Policy Formulation. Retrieved from https://ideas.repec.org/p/phd/dpaper/dp_2015-44.html 6.) Padilla, C. R. (2010, August 16). 'Reasons Why We Need the RH Law'. Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/insights/08/16/10/reasons-why-we-need-rh-law 7.) Shahani, L. R. (2015). Engendering Development: the Status of Women in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2015/03/02/1428959/engenderingdevelopment-status-women-philippines 8.) Tacio, H. (2017). On the rise: Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved from https://businessmirror.com.ph/2017/10/19/on-the-rise-teen-pregnancy/

9.) UNFPA Philippines (2012). Philippine Highlights Rising Teen Pregnancy on 1st Day of Girl Child. Retrieved from https://philippines.unfpa.org/en/news/philippines-highlights-risingteen-pregnancy-1st-international-day-girl-child 10.)

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