Abstract
This article presents a textual examination and reception analysis of an HIV/AIDS poster used by
the University of KwaZulu-Natal students during 2006–09. It examines how discourses construct
self-responsibility for sexual health among female students. Discourse analysis, language and
visual strategies are applied to reveal gender stereotypes. The article argues that an alternative
discourse of femininity is used centring on female power bordering on active participation through
the use of the discursive self ‘I’ in order to promote self-surveillance and individual agency.