The image above was taken from a movie poster advertisement for the 2018 superhero film, Black Panther. According to IMDb, this movie ranks in the #17 spot under the category of the Best Superhero Movies.

This poster is very busy, and a little overwhelming to some at first glance; however, for those who enjoy action and superhero movies, this may be an exciting advertisement. Let’s look at the poster as an advertisement, without any backstory at all, using the Goffmanian Analysis: 

  1. Relative Size = Given the nature of the film, we know that the Black Panther’s character is the main focus and the driving force of the plot; however, there are still more male characters on this film poster than there are women. Additionally, there are two men who are much larger than any of the women, imposing a lesser importance on the women. 
  2. Licensed Withdrawal = Of the four females pictured on this film poster, only one is making eye contact with the camera; whereas, of the six males, at least half are locking eyes with the camera. Similarly, of the four women, only one has her body opened to the camera, the rest are turned in a more feminine pose that shows off the bare skin on their shoulders/arms. This gives the women a sense of inactivity and femininity compared to the men.

Shared by: Maddie Glosny
Image Credit: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTg1MTY2MjYzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTc4NTMwNDI@._V1_.jpg