Body-representation and sexual identity projections: A survey of advertising in print media

Matrimonial advertisements provide an unobtrusive site where the image, construction and perpetuation of normative heterosexuality are observed through socio-cultural discourses. The current study focuses on self-representation and gender role expectations in 550 classified matrimonial ads from two popular newspapers (The Daily Dawn, The Daily Jang) in Pakistan. Gender differences in desirable physical attributes, occupational preferences and personality traits are examined. The results revealed that gender polarization in ideal spousal occupations, and the relative variability in gender identities of women as compared to men. A strong preference for pretty and slim women is observed. Implications for the sexual objectification of women and changing gender roles in changing socioeconomic landscape of Pakistan is due to the impact of globalization.

Communication Design of Indian Matrimonial Advertisements in the Sunday Times of India

The study addresses graphic and verbal elements as part of the communication design of matrimonial advertising. Following European trends and rules of the press, the Sunday Times of India newspaper preserves the traditional features in its design for the matrimonial column. It is argued that its communication design is a mixture of two design styles: universal (easily interpreted by the wide audience) and specifically Indian. This is not a problem, since matrimonial advertisements are addressed only to in-group members. For them, the use of ethnic motives in the verbal and non-verbal components of matrimonial advertising is more appealing. Through the signs of the semiotic matrimonial code, they enter the general space of cultural communication. This evokes their trust to the verbal content, creates a comfortable atmosphere for dealing with such a delicate topic and increases the chances of successful engagement. The pragmatic significance of graphic design elements prevails over text ones. All graphic elements, ornaments, lines, linings, vignettes, frames, etc., serve to create a respectful image of the person placing the advertisement, the person on whose behalf the advertisement is placed, and the potential bride/groom. Respect and traditions are key elements of Indian culture and are reflected in the space of newspaper communication. Understanding the requirements for the publication of matrimonial advertisements reflects the social structure and the specifics of interpersonal relations between men and women, parents and children. The interpretation of both visual and verbal signs by outsiders is largely dependent on his/her experience of Indian culture. Keywords: communication design, matrimonial advertisements, Indian culture, graphic and verbal design elements

Matrimonial adverts in Indian English

Our paper readdresses the Kachruvian notion of ‘contextualisation’ from a cultural-linguistic/cognitive-sociolinguistic perspective. We provide an exemplary analysis along these lines, using data from a corpus of Indian-English matrimonial advertisements as our empirical basis. Taking the dimensions of contextualisation distinguished in Kachru’s original framework as a matrix, we show that instances of nativisation detected in the data can be fruitfully spelled out in terms of their underlying cultural conceptualisations and are often interrelated against this background. Furthermore, we suggest that the notion of contextualisation can be profitably applied to entire text types. At a general level, we argue that an analysis that addresses cultural cognition at group level can overcome limitations of descriptive approaches in the study of L2-varieties and provide common ground for a joint endeavour of various research paradigms and disciplines.

Advertising for Love

This chapter discusses how matrimonial ads give a new and unique insight into the way that rapid urban growth and capitalism of the nineteenth century affected people's intimate lives and their approach to experiencing love. Matrimonial advertisers provide an excellent window into how these upheavals in society were negotiated; they were ordinary men and women who wanted nothing more than to conform to a middle-class lifestyle but felt forced to find traditional relationships in an unconventional fashion. Matrimonial advertisements provided a space, for urban dwellers in particular, in which to experiment with a new kind of personal interaction. Matrimonials revealed individuals who were on the move—both geographically and socially—circulating themselves in public in an attempt to find intimacy.

Marry for What? Caste and Mate Selection in Modern India

This paper analyzes how preferences for a noneconomic characteristic (e.g., caste) can affect equilibrium patterns of matching, and empirically evaluates this in the context of middle-class Indian arranged marriages. We show theoretically how the equilibrium consequences of caste depend on whether preferences are towards one's own group or for “marrying up.” We then estimate actual preferences for caste and other attributes using a unique dataset of individuals who placed matrimonial advertisements and find only a strong preference for in-caste marriage. This translates, in equilibrium, in caste doing little to alter the matching patterns on non-caste attributes. (JEL C78, J12, O15, O17, Z13)