Women and Media

I had just come back from US in 2004 but I was appalled with how things have changed in India in the last 6 months since I left. One of that was mainly in Media - scantily clad women gyrating and dancing. Sort of shock for me. Hence, this piece.

Attention:What is the essence of a woman? “Just being a woman is God's gift”, a husky voice broke over 600 million television viewers way back in 1994.Then came spontaneous reply: "The origin of a child is a mother, a woman. Woman shows a man what sharing, caring, and loving is all about. That is the essence of a woman." The dusky beauty Sushmita Sen went on to create history with those words. But 10 years later, another Femina Miss India Nafisa Joseph takes her life. Why.. What happened to this woman of substance? Has the make-believe-world created by the media been too harsh on her? Or are we expecting women to call up and say,” Hey Rahul .. am at home alone” and then dance and sing with them, “Leke Phela Pehla Pyar”. So, is that what is now shown on television, advertisements and films is in reality the true identity of women?

NEED: Women in the consumerism era is idealized neither as an enlightened mother nor as a self-fulfilled working person who can be an equal partner to man. Consumerist society has put women as a glamourised sex object whose supreme purpose is to provide titillation to the male dominated world. Women in magazine, fiction, television drama appers as dependent, irrational, superstitious and over emotional.

In advertising they are shown as house-wives whose interests are limited to domestic needs. Some advertisement show some special joy derived by women from washing clothes with a particular brand of detergent. For example the Wheel add showing a women washing the collar of her husband's shirt with Wheel detergent and this finally leads to his success!!

Again other advertisements show half dressed women in suggestive poses advertising for motor-bikes, car radios, beer, cigarettes and such products which have no relation to her figure. All these advertisements aim at attracting male consumers. This distorted portrayal of women reinforces male sexist attitude towards women as a plaything.

The often sterotypical role of women in movies – woman as a doting daughter dutiful towards her father and brothers, a responsible and chaste wife who consummates her realationship with her husband by never questioning his authority and again who as a mother makes all sort of sacrifices for the betterment of her children.

Recent films like Jansheen, Kaante and Boom have portrayed women in bikini clad dresses and merely as sex symbols engaging in big time crime by taking advantage of men's weakness for them.

The bad woman on the other hand is a sex pot who could entice other men from their faithful wife and loving family. Jism, shows a woman inviting other man through sex, makes him a conspirator and husband’s murderer. In the end she tells her heart-broken lover “Yeh jism pyar karna nahi janta .. yeh janta bhook ..sirf jism ka bhook .. such to yeah hain ki maine tumse kahbi pyar nahi kiya.. kisi se pyar nahi kiya .. sirf apne aap se pyar kiya .."

Music videos too show half nude women gyrating to old beats or strip-teasing before men. It appears now that Indian women have finally come out of their closet to express their sexuality and seduce men. Producers are only concerned about box office hit. The 3 dimensional role of woman in films as ball breakers, sexual mannequins and bird brains.

Serial like Kkusum or Kyunki Saas Bhi kabhi Bahu thi protrays the eternal mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict. Women are shown contriving against one another. Women are shown to be women’s worst enemies. Their jealousy, hatred and conniving personality is portrayed in matters of money and family assets. Women place is at home and they must be dependent and submissive to men. In fact women are often reluctant to accept other women in their new roles.

SATISFACTION:

1. The first and foremost thing is to change the attitude towards women. Both women and men should respect other women. For this I would like to quote fromVivekananda, “Not until you learn to ignore the question of sex and meet on a ground of common humanity. Until then they are playthings, nothing more. We should not think that we are men and women, but only that we are human beings, born to cherish and to help one another. Educate the women and when the women are raised, then their children will by their noble actions glorify the name of the country – then will culture, knowledge, power, and devotion awaken in the land. All nations have attained greatness by paying proper respect to women.”

2. Media has a great role to play in this regard as they directly affect young minds and plays crucial role in moulding the social attitudes of the new generation. Today's society is growing up to see women no more than Maya Memsahibs and media is fuelling this. Media must also project as workers and producers rather than merely consumers.

3. A national policy must be formulated both for the private and public sector to note the serious consequences of portraying women as sex objects or sterotypical roles. 100 years back, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee created Chandramukhi, the despicable singer and dancer in society who can be bought for men's pleasure. But Chandramukhi proved otherwise - she could not be bought and she despised men who leave their families to come to her enthralled by her charm. Such was her character!!

4. Public sector should project the problems of women and ensure that conflicting role models are not depicted. They should instead highlight the great capability of women to juggle between a career and home.

5. NGOs , social action groups should come together to monitor the projection of women and evolve a code of ethics to the presentation of women in all types of India.

VISUALIZATION: Girlfriend and Murder has shown that having pre-marital or extra-marital sex is no more a taboo. How do you think society will ever grow to trust a woman if media continues to protray them in this light ? On the other hand, Romilla Dutt from Lakshay refuses to meet Karan as he was still confused on what to do in life "How can you respect me when you cannot respect your own decision?" was her retort. She even broke up her engagement with her fiance as he refused to allow her to go to Kargil. She was a women of character and courage. Any man will respect such a woman.Women too can be equal partners and can have their own dreams and aspirations.

ACTION: We might have often seen erotic postures of men and women on temples like Puri Jagannath or Khajurao but what we do not know is the reason behind them. Ancient people celebrated a ritual called Hieros Gamos or sacred Marriage that dates back over 2000 years old. It’s a ritual that celebrates the reproductive power of women. The ancients believed that male was spiritually incomplete until he had carnal knowledge of the sacred femine. Through the union of male and female, a man could achieve a climatic instant when his mind went totally blank and he could see God. So, it was a spiritual act through which man and woman experienced God. The birth of a child was considered the ultimate miracle and the ability of woman to produce life from her womb made her sacred.

So to the men folks present here I would say .. Let the media not guide your instincts when you find yourself with a woman. Look in your heart and see if you can approach her with respect and dignity. She was with you in the beginning, in the dawn of all that is holy, she bore you from the womb before the start of the day. She has her dwelling in eternity.

To the women folks I would again quote from Vivekanada – Be strong, hopeful and unashamed. There is no distinction of sex in the soul .. what the world wants is character. The world is in need of those whose life is one burning love, selfless. That love will make every word tell like thunderbolt.

The measure of your faith is the measure of the pain you can endure.