Feminist Representations, Feministic Approaches, and Semiotic Analysis of Various Philippine Advertisements

As digital technology transforms modern marketing, the portrayal of women inmedia has become a critical site for gender discourse. This study analyzed the feministrepresentations and semiotic structures of ten (10) Philippine advertisements released ondigital media between 2017 and 2022. Utilizing a multi-framework approach, the researchemployed the Bechdel-Wallace Test for gender representation, Charles Sanders Peirce’sTheory of Signs for semiotic analysis, and Becker-Herby’s Femvertising framework tocategorize feminist approaches. Findings from the Bechdel-Wallace Test revealed thatwhile 60% of the advertisements passed all criteria, indicating a level of numericalinclusivity, the test alone did not guarantee positive representation. Semiotic analysisidentified Sinsign-Index-Dicisign as the dominant triadic relationship, suggesting thatadvertisers rely on straightforward visual and verbal cues to convey messages. Critically,despite the presence of "pro-female" messaging, the majority of the advertisements fell intothe Stereotypical category under the Femvertising framework. The study concludes thatwhile women are increasingly visible in Philippine advertising, their portrayals oftencontinue to reinforce traditional gender roles rather than challenging them. These resultshighlight a vital need for advertisers to move beyond mere visibility toward authentic,empowered representation. The researchers recommend that curriculum developers andGAD enthusiasts integrate these findings to promote media literacy and encourage thecreation of more inclusive, non-discriminatory publicity materials.Keywords: Femvertising, Philippine Advertisements, Bechdel-Wallace Test,Peircean Semiotics, Sinsign-Index-Dicisign, Gender Stereotypes, Gender andDevelopment