A descriptive analysis of the representation of social status through Spanish print media

The purpose of this research is to deconstruct the mechanisms through which social status is presented in print advertisements and make the reader aware of the influence that is created to reflect status in Mexican magazines for rich Mexican bilingual readers of English and Spanish through a descriptive analysis. The goal is to determine the relationship between social status and the messages advertisers create through the use of visual and textual semiotics based on the semiotic analysis framework of Bell and Milic (2002) and to locate instances that index social status reflected in the advertisements selected. Four campaigns were selected with a total of 25 advertisements included in two Mexican elite magazines only circulated in Mexico: Caras and Quién.