Are Women Really Sweet? An Analysis of the Woman as Dessert Metaphor in the English and Spanish Written Press.

Abstract

One of the most frequent metaphors used by the written media in both English and Spanish is the WOMAN AS DESSERT metaphor. Flicking through the pages of magazines and newspapers, one encounters a host of linguistic metaphors portraying women in the guise of honey, pie, cake, tart, bombón, pastel or bizcocho. Although at first sight these metaphors may be taken as compliments, an analysis of the assumptions that inform the use of such linguistic products reveals that, more often than not, these metaphors present women as objects of sexual desire.