The depiction of women in Indian media is shoddy and at times vulgar. Commodification of woman as a sex object has been relentlessly portrayed in audio-visual as well as print media. The overtones of sexual equation are much more explicit these days in media. The orthodox presentations and the conventional inhibitions seem to overpower the orientations of media planners. The women in India are depicted generally as scrupulous, religiously intolerant, caring only for their own family, politically naïve, socially inevitable and culturally ultra-modern.
Serials are depicting women and young females involved in conspiracy, premarital, extra-marital, post marital illicit affairs, wearing costly, heavy golden and diamond jewelry, perpetuating their religious fundamentalism, spending time in family feuds, suicidal love affairs, mega parties, palatial houses, luxury cars, sleek mobiles, elegant make ups, little care about anything else than the individual matters, and not even a word about the outside world at all. It is true that there is a stereotypical gender role on T.V. as its images largely reflect traditional patriarchal notion of gender. Women are still type cast in traditional roles and stereotypical representation as dependent, docile, emotional women.
Tele serials gave Indian television a new genre of women characters and the success of these characters calls for questioning our changing idols. Women if not portrayed as stereotyped, superhuman characters; are shown as schemers, manipulators and home-breakers or as vamps e.g. Kamolika in Kausati Zindagi Ki and Anu in Des Mein Nikala Hoga Chand, Mom in Kahin Kissi Roz ,Kabhi Aye Naa Judaai, Masi in Yhan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli. Kidnappings, killings, creating family dispute and marital disharmony are some of the role attributes that are essayed by such female characters in one episode after the other. Practically each of these negative characters exhibits revenge, greed, deceit and diabolical plots.
Today serials show a rising trend in extra marital relationships that are depicted on the small screen. A serious question that I wish to raise is the justification for indulging in extra marital relationships as shown in many tele-serials and the dilution of our moral standards. Are extra marital relationships that are casually shown on television hinting at the acceptance of such relationships by our society? Are we moving towards a society where fidelity is no more considered significant for a marriage? Are we blindly aping the western culture without imagining consequences of the impact of our present generation following similar trends? How justified is the third woman/man in a marital relationship? How correct or incorrect is it to be an unwed mother or to bear child of another man while still being married? (Prerana in Kasauti Zindagi Ki)
The larger issue in question is the kind of role models that we want our young generation to emulate. Do we want to see our girls and women as idealistic, pativratas or do we accept the westernization of our traditional Indian values that stressed upon mutual trust, companionship, love and devotion in a relationship? Are we in any way through our television serials inculcating negative values of being unreliable, malicious and cunning in our relationships? Are we pressurizing our young generation especially women to match the flawless, larger than life, super human characters that are being portrayed on television? Could there be any link between the present state of mental confusion, distorted perceptions, imbalanced viewpoints, rising number of pre and extra marital relationships among the youth with the portrayal of relationships in television? Are our youngsters in a state of mental dilemma over the Do's and Don'ts that should be followed or be rejected? Are they torn between the past and the present values, face societal pressures to fit into the age old role models on the one hand, and individual aspirations and ambitions to emulate the likes of Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams? Is distorted and ambivalent projection of relationships on television one of the reasons for the identity crisis being faced by the young generation, rising rate of crimes against women, increase in suicides, incidents of drug abuse? This calls for a serious analysis of the entire issue of the projection of women in television, and in media in general.
Reality shows has emerged as a new form of amusement for the viewers with a whole new concepts including unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documentary on actual events, and featuring ordinary people instead of professional celebrities. In these shows girls might wear short dresses to expose their body parts to survive in these shows. In some of the shows a half nude female anchor is engaged only to increase TRP. Judges would behave rudely with participants that some time young participants become sick. These reality shows are meant to search for the talent like acting, singing and dancing; but meanings of these shows have changed, and exposure of women’s bodies increases the popularity and number of viewers of these shows which are mostly men.
Newspapers give place to the news related to rape, crime, politics, scandals, sports and economics, serious debates and discussions on issues related to women in general are completely missing. The columnists of the newspapers are rarely females. Most of them who find place in the leader pages are political activists or so-called socialites. In vernacular press the depiction of women gets a share only in coloured pages where there is a lot of gossip about actress of T.V. serials or film stars along with some hot pick-up and pin-ups. The English press also dwells upon providing snaps of hot babes and erotic photo-gallery of party-mania in multi star hotels. Even the photos of sports stars are also provided in a manner that depicts their body attraction.
Magazines as well as newspapers have sections for females where the reader is left only with the option of reading some personal gynecological problems of married women or personal love hick-ups of young girls, otherwise special features on knitting, fashion, sales etc. are the routine one.
The T.V. Channels have plenty of young, good looking, smart women (most of the times girls in their teens) either as news presenters or as reporters. These channels keep on changing their presenters in pursuit of fresh faces. And one may very easily assume that theses girls have been employed mainly because of their face value. Because so many times the homework, the pronunciation, the background knowledge, the language and the overall presentation gets shoddy. Nonetheless, T.V. news channels appear to be a female-friendly medium. But unfortunately there also serious debates and discussions on real issues facing the women in India are completely missing.
The advertisements in Indian media are in a horrible condition. It is perhaps that portion which requires immediate attention of feminists. Even the women activists also seldom react to the advertisement campaign that is grossly insulting the dignity of women in different ways. In most of the advertisements in Indian media be it newspapers, or magazines, T.V. channels or otherwise, one finds that an essential ingredient is women. There is an advertisement of a premium whisky that shows one man is taking first sip of that particular whisky and the lady sitting in front him appears to be loosing some inches of her dress after every drink the process goes on up to three drinks. After three sips of the drink he finds that the breasts of the previously over-clad lady have become quite visible and half clad and his own shirt has slipped from his shoulders. And a voice slurs – ‘Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’ (Anything can happen). In one advertisement of an after-shave lotion, a man comes our after shaving and using the particular lotion and the young girls in the vicinity start following him seductively. In one advertisement of a bike one individual is shown as moving hand on the body of the bike and the image of a semi-nude lady props up instead of the bike.
In one advertisement of a deodorant spray young two-piece bikini clad females start flocking the man who has used that spray recently. In another advertisement two girls are using the telescope to watch, admire and get fainted out of infatuation by looking at the man wearing only a particular brand of underwear. Another advertisement of an underwear shows a young man is kissed in almost every part of his body by the infatuated young girls in the ladies toilet. These are only some of the examples prevalent in our media these days. The depiction of women in these and other advertisement is actually insult to the women in general but we are used to enjoy them with little concern about the female respect and dignity, which used to be the salient feature of our ancient tradition. The advertisements in the hoardings, posters and wall writings etc. are no less offending.
Although the Press Council of India has clear guidelines on the way the media should report on an depict women, there is a lot of controversy regarding this and many newspapers are not clear in their own guidelines while tackling such sensitive issues. The fact that crime briefs are reported as simple events mostly unaccompanied by any analysis conveys a sense of media apathy and indicates the inherent belief that violence against women is a daily feature of life and does not require analysis. Some part of the blame can be attributed to the system of education has played a central role in moulding the process and patterns of uneven development and disenfranchisement in post colonial India.
The indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986 provides for the regulation of representation of women in media. It prohibits the indecent representation of women through advertisements, books, writings, paintings, figures or in any other manner. Section 4 prohibits the production, sale, hire, distribution, circulation, sending by post any book, pamphlet, slide, film, writing, drawing, painting etc. which contains indecent representation of women in any form. The main objection of this Act is non observance. As mentioned above, advertisement showing women in an indecent way are aired day in and day out, hardly an action is taken. The National Commission of Women has suggested modifications in the Act and elaborates upon ways to strengthen it and make it workable so that the objectives could be achieved. The National Commission of Women recommended that the Section 2(b) of the Act be modified to read as 'Derogatory representation of women means the depiction in any manner of the figure of a woman, her form of body or any part thereof in such a way as to have the effect of being derogatory to, or denigrating, women and is also likely to deprive, corrupt or endanger public morality or morals'. As per the above definition, depiction in any manner of the figure of a woman, her form or her body or any part thereof would amount to indecent or derogatory representation if it has:
The tendency to present a woman as a sexual object
The tendency to present a woman as a sexual commodity for man's pleasure, or
The tendency to glorify woman's subordination to man as an attribute to womanhood, or
The tendency to glorify ignoble servility to man as an attribute to womanhood, or
The effect of being indecent or being derogatory to, or denigrating women; or
It is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals.
In spite of the law, gender concerns in media is a serious concern today as the problems of women's portrayal in the media has been agitating the mind of the civil society and an attempt is being made to curb this growing problem. Continued incidences of obscene depiction of women in television and in media in general, call for a debate on the need for effective laws against them and proper implementation of the existing legal-provisions. There is a section of society which upholds the opinion on having their creative freedom of expression, a fundamental human right. However, the duty that has to go along with exercising this freedom has to be stressed upon, apart from complying with prevailing laws.
Since media is considered as the Fourth Estate, its functionact as a guardian of the public interest and as a watchdog. As an important agent of socialization, besides family and school, contributing to the shaping of gender roles, its mechanisms for checks and balances with respect to gender need to be strengthened. The need of the hour is to create a climate for public dialogue and discussion in the wake of the open sky policy and to make recommendations for public policy. A mechanism should be developed to ensure viewer's feedback, not only on performance but also on expectations, reservations and objections. The media authorities should therefore, assume equal responsibilities with parents in creating conditions that enable projection of women in a decent, dignified way and promote violence free programmes.
Television, because of its popularity and mass appeal can be effectively utilized for circulating information, creating awareness and highlighting relevant gender issues for men and women rather than reinforcing gender stereotypes. Being a powerful medium, television can be used to impinge on our very definitions of which we are nurturing human values rather than promoting masculine or feminine traits among men and women. Television and media in general, may be used for provoking thoughts on sensitive issues like sexual harassment, violence against women, and denial of opportunities to girl children.
Consumerism and the consequent vulgarization of the fabric of our culture are bound to grow unless serious effort is made to curb the menace. It is essential to enlist the support of policy makers, parliamentarians on the appropriate policy and guidelines for the media to ensure that there is no negative portrayal of women. Television can be used as a forum for advocacy, challenging stereotypes, information dissemination that will enable in taking necessary legal action, enactment of appropriate laws, sensitizing the authorities and creating public dialogue. The media professionals need to be sensitized on gender issues and a system of rewards may be developed for those who are able to portray women in positive manner. Likewise, stringent punitive action should be taken against those who defy the norms. A multipronged strategy for sensitization, creating awareness and mobilization of public opinion is needed for developing a positive image of women in media. It is also necessary to draw a fine line between what constitutes morality and the define boundaries of obscenity.
Sanjeev Gandhi
Govt. College, Chhachhrauli
