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WOMEN IN TELEVISION: DEPICTIONS AND DISTORTIONS

Meenu Anand

Gender and the media is a subject that is being discussed frequently. The portrayal of gender as a product and the accompanying body politic in the media is well documented. Media can act as both a perpetrator and as a protagonist it can either be an accomplice to gender based discrimination by portraying stereotypical sensational images of women or it can provide balanced coverage that empowers women while exposing acts of gender bias. The present article proposes to present a feminist critique of the extent to which womens issues and characters are covered on television, with special focus on the manner in which they get covered and presented in Hindi television programmes (segmented for the middle and upper middle class audience). Keeping in mind the role of media as the Fourth Estate, the paper attempts to develop an understanding of the factors which govern the shape of media content and critically situate the ongoing concerns about representation of women on television against the backdrop of globalization. Television: The Idiot Box Turns into Magic Box Cable and satellite television have grown rapidly throughout the developing world. Of all the popular means of mass media, television has the greatest mass appeal and acceptance. With the advent of satellite television in 1991, the idiot box of 1980s turned into whole new magical world, comprising of innumerable and a wide variety of satellite channels. However, like all other developments lead to certain unexpected changes, television too transformed its viewing as a fragmented exercise. While earlier the entire family was sitting together to watch programmes like Hum Log, Buniyaad in the 1980s; the new genre of programming specifically deals with a particular target audience. Therefore, if there is devotional music, yoga for the aged in the morning, there are innumerable cartoon channels for the young ones. Afternoon soaps like Shanti, Swabhiman of the early 1990s have moved to the prime slot, in the form of long running K- serials that began around 2001 and different other programmes catering to different segments housewives, youth, corporate sector, businessmen and children. Advertisers too have recognized their specific target groups and begun crafting advertisements according to target viewers of the serials. The impact of visual media as a very powerful vehicle for communicating ideas and images is known to be tremendous. Television creates a world which seems very real and viewers are unable to differentiate between the contrived world and the real one. Impact of television is more on the young children and adolescents, who sit in front of the television, and for hours, succession of pictures is watched by eyes that are only just opening onto the world and it becomes imprinted on minds that are still

Womens Studies & Development Centre, Academic Research Centre, University of Delhi

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impressionable. The availability of cable and satellite television exposes them to new information about the outside world; reinforces stereotypes and beliefs which may affect individual attitudes and behaviors. Its also a known fact that childrens gender development occurs through observation and imitation of gender behavior. While family and school play the roles of primary agents of socialization for children, transmitting values, beliefs, Dos and Donts of society; the role and influence of television cannot be undermined considering the amount of time that children spend watching television these days. Because gender roles are socially constructed, most of the behaviour associated with gender is learned rather than innate. People learn what sorts of behaviour and personality are regarded in their cultural context as appropriate for males or females. Television also perpetuates traditional gender stereotypes because it reflects dominant social values. In reflecting these values, television also reinforces them, presenting them as 'natural'. Thus, as one might expect in our society, which is largely dominated by men; influenced by these stereotypes, unconsciously what gets reproduced is a traditional 'male' perspective, perpetuating dominant gender stereotypes. Many narratives on television are still implicitly designed to be interpreted from a biased perspective or a perspective that commodifies women or shows them in traditional stereotyped roles and responsibilities. In order to examine the construction of femininity and womanhood on Indian television, the author would like to analyze different aspects of television viewing from a gender perspective under the following heads: Serials Advertisements News Channels Music Videos Other Programmes Serials: Television serials have undergone huge transformation in the last decade and a half. Serials have moved a great deal from portraying strong women characters like Rajni, Kalyani (Udaan) of 1980s, which inspired middle class women and challenged the mainstream ideology. Today there is indeed an overdose of serials that are currently being aired on television. From the endless list of popularly watched K serials on Star Plus - Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kahin Kissi Roz, Kavyanjali; to Zee TVs Teen Bahuranian, Har Ghar Kuch Kahta Hai, Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyaan, Meri Doli Tere Angna; Sony TVs Thodi Khushi Thode Gam and Khwaish. Most of these soaps show "home" or the domestic sphere as the core setting and the fundamental theme is centered on women with primary concern on family relationships. In this context, women's achievement is valued in terms of their responsibility for running a successful household, settling down in matrimonial bliss, bearing children and making them ideal human beings. Portrayal of Stereotyped Ideologies Since television represents mainstream ideology, the construction of gender stereotypes on television reinforces the stereotypical definitions of Indian womanhood. Most serials are found to be reinforcing and strengthening the gender stereotypes

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already present in Indian society. Most themes centre on a strong sense of good and bad, right and wrong, and are mostly painted in white and black with no grey shades. Women are mostly portrayed in the light of approval or disapproval. These role stereotypes reflect the typical patriarchal mindset; where the housewife is favoured while the women in power (power hungry and full of vices) are often depicted as villains. Men are showing going to office while women stay at home (not that anyone ever does any work). The vamp is the antithesis of the protagonist; portrayed as ultra modern, mostly working (the boardroom woman), with a plunging neckline, short hair, bold, conniving, heartless, ruthless, and perfect in the art of seduction. Here again "modernity", or "Westernization" as it is commonly called, is co-related and confused with debasement of morals and ideals. The attitude of women towards societal norms and values, her perception towards life, her consequent position and status in the family and broadly in society are shaped and moulded by the "models" of womanly conduct inherited from the past. A prominent image of Indian womanhood that has dominated for long in the Indian ideology, creating an indelible impact on the Indian mindset is that of a pativrata woman. The central protagonists of most popular prime-time soap operas are typical prototype of the pativrata and the glorious motherhood images. Woman is an archetype of feminine perfection and is popularly held up as a model to be emulated. The idealization of motherhood puts serious physical and emotional pressures on women and this vision of motherhood is highly romanticized and yet its standards for success remain forever out of reach, no matter how hard women may try to `have it all. The question that author would like to raise is if these are the values, characters and standards that we are trying to project for our young generation to emulate? Do we expect our youngsters to follow the traditional stereotypes? Another prominent observation is that all women in the serials appear on screen with heavy makeup, wearing expensive jewellery and attire, ready to attend a marriage party any minute. All married women are shown wearing mangalsutras. Moreover, it seems that all serials are replica of each other, because all characters look, dress and behave the same. Indian soaps show women as the primary target for drama while male characters are shown by and large, secondary and inconsequential. Men are shown hanging around impishly, clutching at the saree pallus of their aggressive wives. Few men who are shown villainous, also hang impishly around the real villains wearing spaghetti straps (the women). The Idealistic: Superwoman Another feature commonly portrayed is the unrealistic superwoman: the super wife, the super daughter-in law and the super mother. This superwoman has multifarious qualities -loyalty, compassion, devotion, her domain is her home and her family justifies her very existence. Her greatness lies in the obliteration of her individuality and selfworth; she is more of an ideal, a superlative rather than a personality. In the role of a mother she sacrifices her happiness for her children and family, she is the panacea for all ills that might plague the family. Kumkum, Sudha in Meri Awaaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni, Bhabhi are some such examples. Protagonists Prerna, Parvati, Tulsi, now Renuka

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Shahane in Jeena Issi Ka Naam goes to jail or the mental asylum for crimes they never committed. In the end, they always win of course but not before going through hell, tears and physical violence. The impact of such larger than life characters is so strong that it is nearly impossible to demean their effect. Vampish Woman: A New Genre Ekta Kapoors teleserials gave Indian television a new genre of women characters and the success of these characters calls for questioning our changing idols. Women if not shown portraying stereotyped, superhuman characters; are shown as schemers, manipulators, 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 and Kabhi Aye Naa Judaai. 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. These characters are often in contrast and pitted against the ideal ones mentioned earlier. Today our serials show a rising trend in extra marital relationships that are depicted on the small screen. A serious question that the author wishes 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 Dos and Donts 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.

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2. Advertisements: Advertisements are yet another prominent and integral part of television viewing. Due to its power and charisma, advertising is the best known and most widely discussed form of promotion. Advertising not only informs but persuades and motivates the consumer about the advertised products, service or ideas. Advertising plays an important role in persuading the public to change their attitudes towards a product, service or idea. The constant flow of advertising images of gender, types of persons, social classes, and other groups influence our social learning process. Several media scholars have emphasized the role of advertisements as a major agent of social reinforcement because of its presumed power for moulding opinions, attitudes and behaviour.

Reinforcing Patriarchy Portrayal of gendered relationships is common in advertisements. Since womens positions and roles are devalued in patriarchal cultures, advertising maintains the status quo in gender relations by reinforcing the sexual division of labour while resisting and subverting any radical change on the part of women. Stereotypes abound in the advertisements as men are mostly shown advertising cars or business products like laptops (Compaq, Acer), job websites (naukri.com, monster.com). For the advertising world, the sari clad, large bindi, mangalsutra and sindoor sporting women has become the Indian symbol of marriage. Women are mostly shown advertising domestic products. Some common sights of women as seen in advertisements are as shown cooking in the kitchen (MDH Masalas, United/Hawkins Pressure Cooker, Kurkure, Vim Liquid, Maggie, Sunfeast, Saffola), washing bucketful of clothes (Ariel, Nirma) and bandaging wounds of their husbands and children. The advertisements also project women as the torch bearers of cultural heritage as advertisers have long been enamored with women and culture. Advertisements of ICICI Prudential life Insurance picture the transformation of the sindoor of woman into the companys logo. Most of LIC advertisements picture the women left all alone, helpless, susceptible to exploitation if the husband does not have insurance. These advertisements seem to promote the idea of insurance as more important for women than the men. Like television serials advertising also depicts woman as superwomen who manage multiple roles of wife, mother, career woman and so on, and be glamorous as well. In advertisements of Whirlpool, Knorr Soups one observes the perfect multi tasking done by the modern women who take care of the domestic responsibilities and aspire to fulfill their professional commitments with great perfection and ease. Such depictions exhibit these women excelling in their professional commitments, meeting deadlines and achieving success. Do such characters create any pressure on women who often have to juggle to attend to their domestic responsibilities besides fulfilling their professional commitments? Do such advertisements project that it is very convenient to meet the demands of the two worlds without any physical, mental or emotional burden? Do these

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advertisements who project women as working in and outside the house with contentment, raise expectations from a common woman? One also observes of the media promoting an obsession for having fair, untanned, glowing skin among women. Seeing is believing claimed the Fair and Lovely soap. Should all women have a fair skin in order to be worthwhile? Are not the persons having other shades in their skin color unique in themselves? Dont many innocent girls get cheated with claims as these made by the advertisers? Million of vulnerable girls and women as a result of these advertisements often become obsessed with beauty and are seen spending hours on end to improve their appearances seeking every available cosmetic aid to catch the attention of men. Now Emami Fair and Handsome for men, Fairever seems to have caught the eyes of many men as well. Commodification of Women Advertising seems to be obsessed with gender and sexuality e.g. the Amul Underwear advertisement relates to man, woman and underwear. In this advertisement, a woman flourishes a pair of briefs and then washes the said garment. This ad shows exciting bosom heaves and finger wags where the woman is shown imagining about the man and his body parts. An unrealistic, obscene advertisement that created ripples and evoked strong responses from womens groups since it showcased woman to sell a product used by men in a cheap way. Similar other examples are advertisements of VIP Frenchie, McDowells. Advertising thrives on commodification of women and by reinforcing age-old stereotypes. The process of commodification in advertising brings out the paradoxical nature of the womans role as a consumer; she is the subject of a transaction in which her own commodification is ultimately the object. Advertising frequently commodifies women by exploiting their sexuality or by fragmenting the female body into eroticized zones such as hair, face, legs, breasts etc. Thus, in the exchange between the commodity and woman in advertisements, a woman becomes a commodity, too. Women are portrayed as sex objects who are probably casted to titillate the viewers by exposing their body parts. Women are shown wearing revealing clothes and take leaning and yearning postures signs of incompleteness or lack of security. Women and their body parts sell everything- food, clothing, cars, computers, mens shaving lotions and underwear. Even in commercials of the products consumed mostly by menalcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, briefs; women are used as models exposing their bodies. Glamour dolls in front of cameras and ace photographers do the same behind the lenses, trapping thousands of teenagers believe in the miracle of the product. 3. News Channels: It is said that Indian viewers now spend more time watching news than reading news As TV news channels in India compete with each other for more viewership, more and more sensational types of news programs are being created vying for public attention and ultimately to improve their television rating points. An example to prove this point is the increase in sting operations being done by the news channels, that prove how much time and energy is needed to create sensational news and how journalists slog furnish the proof while uncovering hidden facts, live on screen! NDTV,

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CNN-IBN, Headlines Today, Times Now, Aaj Tak, Delhi Aaj Tak, Star News, MH1 News, Sahara News, Zee News, NDTV India, India TV, DD News are some of the popular news channels that show news 24/7. The question that arises is if we really need 24/7 rolling news? It seems that many of the news channels by and large are working on the old strategy of creating one package for different time bands. Instead of introducing innovative news programs, in order to fill in twenty four hours and win the rat race of improving own T.R.P. among hundreds of other channels, news channels are stooping to any level to produce what they call the 'news'" and none of them truly seem to be delivering news. Bollywood Fixation Gender and related issues are totally ignored by the news channels that often depend on Bollywood stars for their survival. Most news channels sensationalize news related to celebrities such as Bachchan familys numerous visits to temples, covering wedding arrangements of actors like Liz Hurley Arun Nayar, Abhishek-Aishvarya, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor etc. News channels tirelessly present for hours news related to Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty and others in order to woo their viewers and improve their T.R.Ps. Recently Sanjay Dutt dominated all news channels after getting arrested for his long pending TADA case. All news channels for days covered this news, interviewing Dutts family, his colleagues and asking viewers for sending mobile messages. The programme anchors spoke non stop and at great length about the jail food, living conditions, his transfer to another jail and so on. Private life of Sanjay Dutt was associated with Gandhigiri which is probably the reason for sympathy from masses Dutt has received, particularly from the youth. Author feels that covering gender issues for most television channels means sensationalizing the news of rape cases, kidnappings, marriage between two female lovers, scandalizing forced kiss between Rakhi and Mika, covering news on marital discord between Prerana and her husband Whether it be the case of a Hindi film actor being abused in the middle of the night by a fellow actor or the episode of a girl calling the police on her wedding day to arrest her dowry-demanding husband, the channels waste no time to latch on to such spicy topics and dish out soap-opera style stories on them. Within no time, a timid, conforming, submissive girl turns into a national icon, the very symbol of 21st century womanhood and the channels even encouraged viewers to send congratulatory S.M.S.'s to her through their network. The latest to join the bandwagon are the 16 new girls who played Hockey in Chak De India as all the channels are hovering around them to know about their personal lives. How credible is the media? What portion of news is devoted to womens issues or to women as victims of circumstance, of the elements, of their own bodies and of course of men? What about news on laws related to women, awareness generation on womens issues in India- educational, health, work related issues, domestic violence, sexual harassment, portraying successful career women in different, innovative segments of work? Is there any news channel that has a fixed time slot, even once a week that highlights issues faced by women in India? Sadly, the core issues are ignored, nipped in the bud or are not followed up if initiated.

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4. Music Videos: There is yet another side to television, which is the trend of the music videos to promote music albums. When we think of a music video, one visualizes image of a woman who is titillating, sensuous and whose sole purpose is to arouse men with the show of the bare breasts and half naked bodies. With so many music videos entering the television every week and becoming hugely popular among the viewers, one can analyze the intensity of its viewership and its impact on the minds of the audiences thereafter. The music industry has begun a new onslaught on womens dignity and right to privacy with the lyrics, dialogues, scenes touching dangerously low levels of degradation and sexual abuse. Such music albums and their videos that have become so popular with the youth can easily mislead them on sexual relations and encourage them to indulge in casual sex and intimate relationships. These music videos that often have skimpily dressed girls are a blur of porn and tantalizing choreography. These issues when raised are being overlooked and sidelined by the music industry as restricting individual freedom/creativity. Is a womans body being used as an object by the music companies to maximize their profits, selling their music albums for vested interests? Are the boundaries defining morality and the norms governing sexual and other behaviour being modified due to the impact of such videos that promote obscenity? 5. Other Programmes Childrens Programmes: There has been a tremendous increase in the number of channels for the little ones. An analysis of programmes that are aired for children show that in general on TV, boys tend to be shown as active, aggressive, rational and discontented. Boys tend to engage in traditional male activities such as sports, travel and causing trouble. Girls are often shown talking on the phone, playing with dolls, reading and helping with the housework. Childrens Channels like Pogo, Cartoon Network, Nick, Jetix, Hungama TV all thrive on shows of bravery and the Icons are mostly males- Spiderman, Batman, Ultraman, Perman, Power Rangers etc. The male animated characters also are found to be aggressive, assertive, independent, risktaking while female characters are shown as affectionate, gentle, sympathetic, dependent, emotional and nurturing. Stand Up Comedy/ Reality Shows: On The Great Laughter Challenge and its derivatives, men tell jokes and many jokes are about women in front of male judges. Is it really comedy? It has also been seen that men win most talent contests. Despite Rakhi Sawant, a man became Bigg Boss. Judges are overwhelmingly men. Arent women good judges of talent? How come no woman came close to becoming Indian Idol? Is there a dearth of women who can sing well? Sports channels: Sports channels are primarily devoted to men and the games they play. Cricket, tennis dominates. Sport on television is dominated by men and tends to inculcate masculine values. Sports programmes define men in relation to competition, strength and discipline. There seems to be only one sportswoman who has received maximum media coverage and that is Sania Mirza. The question to be pondered about is why Sania Mirza such a huge news draw? Is it only her competence in tennis or is it

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also because of her visual appeal that she gets maximum journalists hovering around her for media coverage? Why are the females from other sports or from within tennis being ignored?

Women, Obscenity And The Law 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. NCW 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 mans pleasure, or The tendency to glorify womans 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. Inspite of the law, gender concerns in media is a serious concern today as the problems of womens 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 uphold 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. Looking Ahead It is apparent that there is stereotypical representation of gender roles on television as its images largely reflect traditional patriarchal notions of gender. Women are still typecast in traditional roles, and stereotypically represented as dependent, docile,

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emotional women or otherwise depicted as cunning, clever and manipulative. Women are also mostly shown as the mothers, while men are the bread winners. Different aspects of television- serials, advertisements, news channels, music videos, childrens programmes all exhibit age old traditional stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. Since media is considered as the Fourth Estate, its function is to act 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 viewers 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 who 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, denial of opportunities to girl children, reducing machoism among males by showing the relationship between aggressive behaviour and risk taking behaviour among men. 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. meenuanand75@rediffmail.com

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Notes & References

Anand, Meenu (2006) Commodification of Women: The Irony. Womens Watch Vol. 3 Issue 3, April- June 2006. NFIW Bathla, Sonia (1998) Women, Democracy and the Media. Sage Publications Joseph, A & Sharma, K (2006) Whose News: The Media & Womens Issues. Sage Publications Nigam, Shalu (2002) Women, Obscenity and the law Legal News and Views. Vol 16 No. 12. Social Action Trust

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