Semiology can be a strong tool in analyzing signs and how humans make meaning and sense by interpreting these signs. By making sense of these signs ideologies are created. Ideologies are produced by the principal groups in effort to legitimize imbalanced "social power relations" that replicate the interests of the group in power. (Rose, 75) In the Juarez photos we see how negative ideologies are created in reference to the maquiladora workers, the female murder victim, and ultimately all women of Juarez.

The photos have a strong impact on the ways in which gender and violence are understood. The signifiers in the photos, such as the fit and color of clothing, make-up, and hairstyles have a huge effect on how the viewer understands and brings meaning to the photos. Now, we must take a further in-depth analysis of what Rose calls the "representation of bodies". Most photos released in the press were of young a woman, which is meant to convey the women who have been murdered as naive and irresponsible. Also, almost all of the women have long hair which is meant to signify "seductive beauty". (Rose, 81) The women are always in unnatural overdone makeup which is meant to signify the attempt of the women to be attractive.

The use of dark lip liner and bright lipstick was intended by the women to make their lips more voluptuous and pouty. In today's culture pouty lips are signifiers of oral sexuality. When looking at these women a man might say that she has very kissable and inviting lips. Furthermore, Almost all of the portraits that were used in the media were of the women in low cut shirts in which their flesh was shown. In this particularphoto, we see that the murder victim is wearing a red jacket. The color red is another signifier of sexuality.

The women's modern clothing, excessive makeup, long flowing hair, young age and general good looks are all considered signifiers of the signified which is sexual promiscuity, bad morals, and a dangerous and irresponsible lifestyle. The signifier and signified have an "inherent" and culturally specific correlation which is considered by Pierce to be an "indexical sign". (Rose, 83) If a women dresses provocatively and wears lots of makeup she is sexual promiscuous; if she is sexual promiscuous or goes out at night she must be one of those women who dress provocatively and wears excessive makeup. The indexical sign can mean that the women in the photos are maquiladora workers and by being that, they must also be a bar tender, party girl, or prostitute. The common ideology in Juarez is that the young beautiful women who worked in the maquiladora have unrespectable "second jobs".(Mora, 6) Thus by being a maquiladora worker who dresses in more North American fashion (which is considered highly sexualized) she has become a sign for being a prostitute, a woman who works at a bar, or a party girl who inevitably puts herself in danger.

These ideologies are reinforces by the verbal and textual rhetoric, which acts as anchorage, in many newspaper articles and television news reports in which government official claimed that "the women's conduct did not conform to the moral order because they dressed provocatively." (Nathan, 2) Such rhetoric attempts to naturalize the belief that these women were maquiladora workers who were too desirable for men and by being attractive and employed they were setting themselves up to be murdered.

There is also an important conection between the murder victims and the belief that they were maquiladora workers. Such rhetoric is aimed to convince women not to work in the maquiladoras. The truth of the matter is that little "over 50 percent" of the women killed worked or were seeking work in the maquiladora. (Alba, 1) Such rhetoric is also aimed to convince women not to work in the maquiladoras. The common ideology is that all the women who have been killed were maquiladora workers, however such statistics show that this is not the case. Such ideology is creating a negative representation of female employment and ultimately a negative representation of the women who work in the maquiladora. Furthermore, such ideologies are creating myths about these women and the lives they lived.