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Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science

ISSN Online: 2576-0548 ISSN Print: 2576-0556 CODEN: JHASAY
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ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.05.005

Gender Reflection on Clothing Advertisements—Using Uniqlo’s Advertising Campaign on Weibo as an Example

Ruoxi Zhang

School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China.

*Corresponding author: Ruoxi Zhang

Published: May 26,2025

Abstract

To enhance public awareness of gender differences in the clothing advertising industry, this study adopts a mixed-method approach integrating both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Utilizing the Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) model, the research examines gender representation in Uniqlo’s Weibo advertisements over one week. The research questions are: (1) What are the differences in text between men’s and women’s clothing advertisements? (2) What are the differences in the image between men’s and women’s clothing advertisements? The findings reveal the usage of gender-differentiated marketing strategies in advertising. The textual analysis highlights a focus on idealized female body images and themes related to family and marital relationships. At the image level, based on social semiotics principles, a horizontal comparison supports the argument that female representation tends to be over-expressed. This study contributes to filling the research gap in gender linguistics regarding clothing advertisements on mainstream social media platforms in mainland China. By offering preliminary ideas and perspectives, it is used to inspire future research on gender equality and female empowerment.

Keywords

Advertisement; Beauty; Female body image; Gender representation; Sexually objectified portrayal; Women

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How to cite this paper

Gender Reflection on Clothing Advertisements—Using Uniqlo’s Advertising Campaign on Weibo as an Example

How to cite this paper: Ruoxi Zhang. (2025) Gender Reflection on Clothing Advertisements—Using Uniqlo’s Advertising Campaign on Weibo as an Example. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science9(5), 895-900.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.05.005