Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyse the visual representation of the ‘coconut’ in six South African
television advertisements aired during the South African reality show Our Perfect Wedding (October
2017 – February 2018), using multimodal semiotics in order to demonstrate how the ideological
concept of the ‘coconut’ is constructed in media advertising. The study is broadly situated within the
theoretical framework of critical race theory.
The study has the following research objectives. Firstly, a context is presented for the reality show
Our Perfect Wedding. This is followed by a literature review that addresses concepts related to the
black middle class, the ‘coconut’, visual media advertising and critical race theory. I identify six
suitable advertisements for analysis by using specific criteria for selection. Drawing on key
methodologies used in semiotic analysis, I develop an analytical tool that allows me to discuss the
framing, salience and information value of each advertisement in order to demonstrate which
modes of representation make the ‘coconut’ intelligible to the target audience.
I conclude that the ideological construction of the ‘coconut’ is not only visually represented, but also
framed into existence through relational class performance.
Key words: ‘Coconut’, South African advertising, black middle-class, ideology, visual representation,
multimodal semiotics, critical race theory.