Deconstructing the aesthetics of Balinese women's identity in tourism digital magazine advertisements

This paper examines the phenomenon of the deconstruction of Balinese women's identity in tourism digital magazine advertisements through the perspective of commodity aesthetics. The massive development of the digital tourism industry has shifted the visual paradigm from authentic local beauty representations to global beauty constructions for the sake of the market. The main objective of this research is to dismantle the visual mechanism of identity deconstruction and analyze the shift of cultural use value (Taksu) to aesthetic exchange value in the digital media ecosystem. The research method used is qualitative with a descriptive-analytical approach through the Art Assessment approach. The analysis method used integrates the theory of Visual Communication Design, Roland Barthes' Semiotics, and Wolfgang Fritz Haug's commodity aesthetics. The data was collected through observations on digital magazine platforms such as Bali and Beyond and The Yak, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The results of the study show that identity deconstruction is carried out through a structured commodity aesthetic mechanism, namely the physical features of local women manipulated through digital imaging techniques to approach Western beauty standards (Westernization)

Beauty · Commodity · Tourism · Digital Media and Visual Art · Graphic Design and Typography · Semiotics and Cultural Interpretation