Love is in the (H)Air. A Discourse Analysis of Hair Product Advertising

This book investigates the discourse of advertisements published in women’s lifestyle magazines and promoting haircare cosmetic products. Apart from collecting some of the most relevant research frameworks for the study of ads, the present volume provides interesting insights on the link between gender and advertising. Through a Corpus-Assisted and Multimodal Discourse Analysis, the text helps bring to light some of the stereotypes and deception conveyed by modern advertising practices, with a specific focus on the different cultural contexts of United Kingdom and Italy. Moreover, by demystifying the rhetorical strategies regularly exploited in ads, the volume also wishes to raise awareness of the need for a more critical and detached approach to promotional messages and for a resistance to beauty standards.