Legitimising male grooming through packaging discourse: a linguistic analysis

What is it about?

While packaging is a common marketing subject, this illustration paper provides an alternative perspective through the linguistic examination of packaging as discourse, focusing on male grooming, masculinity and metrosexuality. This study aims to explore how packaging designers negotiate masculinity, in order to persuade men to accept grooming products through social interactions within the packaging of L'Oréal Men Expert. The findings reveal five negotiating strategies.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The key aim of this paper is to illustrate the different perspective of packaging discourse, the differences between marketing and linguistics particularly in semiotics, as well as propose possible collaboration between both realms. At the same time, it adds into the literature of masculinities/metrosexuality, language and gender, and marketing communication.