Gender and Commodity Aesthetics in Tamilnadu, 1950-1970

Abstract

Beyond use value and exchange value, commodities encapsulate semiotic values too. They function as markers of status, domesticity, social discipline, rebelliousness and so on. These functions are contextual, contingent and change over time. In other words, commodities reinforce as well as reconstitute the social world and social values of individuals and commodities. Advertisements which appeal to the multiple desires and fears of individuals and communities play a significant role in this process. This paper examines how advertisements for commodities of everyday use such as cosmetics, food supplements, and gadgets manufactured by multinational, national and regional companies, use images of men, women and children to valorise and reconstitute forms of domesticity.