No more rise and fall: Metaphorical representations of sex, masculinity and femininity in herbal sex enhancement drugs advertisement in South East Nigeria

This study examines the metaphorical representations of sex, men, and women in herbal sex-enhancement drug advertisements in Southeast Nigeria. The study is anchored on Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory (1980) and Entman’s Framing Theory (1993). A descriptive qualitative methodology was adopted. Data comprised fifteen purposively selected audio advertisements collected from parks and markets across the five Southeast Nigerian states. The advertisements were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using the combined theoretical lenses of conceptual metaphor and framing. The findings reveal a systematic use of metaphors to medicalise normal male sexual physiology and portray men as sexually deficient patients in need of intervention. Women are metaphorically constructed as trees, platforms, food, and prey, thereby erasing their agency, consent, and willing participation in sexual relationships. Furthermore, sex is framed as performance and labour, placing men under pressure to meet rigid standards of sexual endurance and reinforcing a commercialised model of hegemonic masculinity. The study concludes that herbal sex-enhancement drug advertisements employ coordinated metaphorical and framing strategies that objectify women, mechanise male sexuality, and transform intimacy into labour. These representations reinforce unhealthy patriarchal norms and exploit anxieties for commercial gain, ultimately promoting distorted understandings of gender, sexuality, and intimate relationships.