Semiotics

Semiotics is the reading of signs and codes within society and how an image can mean something else from what it actually is due to our society’s interpretation. A great philosopher named Ferdinand de Saussure stated that a sign would have a signifier and a signified.  For example the signifier would be physical form of something like the colour red, whereas the signified would be what it refers to, in this case being love or danger. However a different philosopher, Roland Barthes, stated that not all symbol and signs would be signified to have the same meaning in different cultures. For example the signifier of putting your thumbs up in the western world would be signified as ‘good’ and ‘okay’ while in some parts of the Middle East such as Iran doing this would be signified as an insult towards the other person, like how the western world have the middle finger signifier.

The signifier in this image is Audrey Hepburn and the signified is what is identified her with; iconic talent, musical stardom, an idol. But showing this image to someone from Africa or other parts of the world the signified would be something similar to a woman with big hair with a stick in her mouth.

Culler, J.  Saussure. (1976).Glasgow: Fontana/Collins.

Barthes, R. The Semiotic Challenge (1994), University of California Press Berkeley.