Global Journal of Management and Business Research, E: Marketing, Volume 21 Issue 4

been used to mean that the model loves the country. Thus the product comes emotionally closer to the people of Bangladesh. R eferences R éférences R eferencias 1. Acosta, Alisa. (2012). Representation, Meaning and Language [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://ali saacosta.com/2012/04/05/representation-meaning- and-language/ 2. Bandura, Albert (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A social cognitive theory. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 3. Barthe, Roland. (1972). Mythologies . New York: Hill and Wang. 4. Culler, J. (1976). Saussure. London: Fontana. 5. Eco, U. (1976). A theory of semiotics, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. 6. Foucault, M. (1980). Power/Knowledge. Brighton: Harvester. 7. Hall, Stuart. (1997). The Work of Representation, Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, London: Sage Publication. 8. Haq, Fahmidul. (2008, November 19). Theory 1: Analyzing Representation in the way of Roland Barthe [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://m. somewhereinblog.net/mobile/blog/fahmidulhaqblog /28871363 9. Hume, David (1757), “Of the Standard of Taste,” Essays Moral and Political, London: George Routledge and Sons. P.136 10. Jones, Lora. (2020, June 25). Unilever renames Fair & Lovely skin cream after backlash. BBC NEWS. (https:/ /www.bbc.com/news/business-53178088) 11. Jensen, Kari B. (2020). Colorism in Bangladeshi Society. Focus on Geography . http://www.focuson geography.org/publications/articles/bangladeshi/ind ex.html 12. Kant, Immanuel (1790), Critique of Judgement, J.H. Bernard, trans., New York: Macmillan, 1951. 13. McEvoy, Jemima (2020, July 2). Critics Slam Unilever Rebrand Of ‘Fair & Lovely’ Skin Lightener as ‘Glow & Lovely’. Forves https://www.forbes . com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2020/07/02/critics-slam- unilever-rebrand -of-fair--lovely-skin-lightener-as- glow--lovely/?sh=735c12504b7a 14. Nadeem, Shehzad (2014). Fair and anxious: on mimicry and skin-lightening in India. Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture, 20(2-3), 224-238 DOI: 10.1080/13504630. 2014.881282 15. Nirob, Hafizul Islam (2018, April 2) Semiotics in Advertisements: Analysis of an Advertisement. Retrieved from https://journal.imhafiz.me/%E0% A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%8D% E0%A6%9E%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%A 8%E0%A7%87-% 16. Sharma, Karuna. (2020, September 8). Glow & Lovely has launched its new campaign, but why does it look and feel exactly like Fair and Lovely?. Business Insider . Retrieved from https://www. © 2021 Global Journals Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXI Issue IV Version I Year 2021 ( ) E 11 Glow and Lovely: ‘Old Wine in a New Bottle’ These conceptions of beauty broadcast through advertisements by Unilever are myths because beauty doesn’t depend on skin color and skin color doesn’t bring success. Gender equality and women empowerment depends on other aspects of their life. Unilever has no love for the country. Rather, it loves profit. Relationship between perception of general people about beauty and the connotative meanings of the ‘signs’ analyzed in the research: Many people in Bangladesh consider light skin more attractive and desirable, resulting in the discrimination of dark-skinned people, particularly girls and women (Jensen, 2020). Since the people of Bangladesh consider light skin more attractive, the cosmetic company Unilever tries to make its products and advertisements similar to the perception of the people of Bangladesh about beauty. Through its advertisements Glow & Lovely, it pretends to give solutions to social problems like gender inequality by showing that skin color is responsible for gender inequality. So, skin color has to be changed from dark to fair. By buying and using Glow & Lovely, this problem can be solved. By doing this, they increase the sale of their products and perpetuate the discrimination based on skin color through their advertisements. IX. C onclusion Advertisements shown on TV have obvious effects on the targeted audience and they can influence them to buy products by reflecting their perceptions. Thus wrong perceptions are reinforced and become well-rooted in society. In this research, by using qualitative semiotic analysis, the ‘signs’ used in the sampled advertisements have been found out. The ‘signs’ in both the advertisements taken to analyze, mean fair skinned models symbolize beauty. Excessive use of white light as color in both the advertisements means only white color glows. Any darkness on the skin is shown as unexpected and a hindrance to beauty, success, empowerment, and equality. Hot sun and tiredness are not matter if you use Glow & Lovely that will make your skin fair. To establish self in the society even in election as equally as man fairness is a must. There is a close relation between the meanings of the ‘signs’ analyzed and the perceptions of general people of Bangladesh about beauty. People here consider light skin more attractive and desirable and create discrimination showing no attraction to dark- skinned people especially women. The ‘signs’ in the advertisements reinforce their perceptions about beauty and establish myths.