NCW condemns depiction of women in media

With reference to The Hindu, 25 August 2009

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has recently placed certain suggestions for an amendment to the existing Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. And you just have to sit in front of the television for ten odd minutes to see how the points raised are indeed a major concern today.

Whether it is the daily soaps on every existing entertainment channel, or the advertisements with scantily dressed women for no reason, they are all equally “sensitive”. It is unbelievable how every soap there is, has female characters based on the same old stereotypes, in this age of so-called “women empowerment”.

A woman who takes her career seriously, is ambitious in life, and is probably not a big fan of the kitchen, is always the vamp! And the timid, homely, and God-abiding, or should I say “husband-abiding” woman, is the perfect example of the “Bharatiya Naari”. It is outrageous how the women in these serials are shown to be continually subjugated by the husband, to whom she is hardly anything more than a housemaid, with fringe benefits. And the woman doing well in her career, who is more in command of her life than most, has to be the husband-stealing, diabolic woman to be stayed away from.

All that for the high-rating TV serials of today. The advertisements are an ever more sordid story to tell. Fairness cream ads have long been a subject of discussion for anybody and everybody. But they are not all! An advertisement with a smartly-dressed woman holding a board meeting, while a thought bubble shows how she is actually worrying about clothes getting washed in the washing machine at her home, may look like an innocent ad for a particular brand of washing machines, but it inadvertently delivers a series of unwanted messages to the public. Such ads only reinforce the unfortunate stereotypes in the minds of the people. They make them believe over and over again, that the place of the woman is actually at home.

And we still talk about “women empowerment” in all its glory. I don’t say that it does not exist at all, but fact is that there is a long way to go. And a suitable control over the media telecasts is an absolute necessity. Here’s hoping that these amendments help bring about the much needed transformation!