Indian Cinema’s Own Brand of Sexism

Ankita Mukhopadhyay argues that when it comes to its treatment of women, India’s entertainment industry needs a reality check.

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“We can’t cast her, she’s too fat.” “What am I going to do with an actress who can act but doesn’t look good?”

I lapped up these statements as harmless feedback for a year and a half in the television industry in India. As a 21-year-old, I was under the impression that women were objectified on screen to satisfy the need of a largely male audience. But a short market research trip made me realize that television reflected the current social status of women in India, and that sexism was an accepted fact both on screen and across the wider society.

In December 2014, I conducted market research for a popular daily soap opera in a village in the state of Madhya Pradesh. I was surprised to learn that only women watched soap operas. When I asked a lady what her impression was of the lead character in a certain show, she told me: “Akshara, my role model. The way she manages her household, her in-laws, her office work, while still managing to look good, is an inspiration for me. I aspire to be like her.”

What I discerned from three grueling days in Madhya Pradesh was that women aspired to a certain standard of beauty and lifestyle after being influenced by daily soaps. These serials showcase the traditional role a woman is expected to play in society — that of a homemaker and a child-bearer. Women across India aspire to be like the lead character in their favorite daily soap, who has a high sense of morality, is happily married and can manage both household and office work with equal ease.

Protagonists on these shows go to sleep looking like a model and wake up looking like one. They are decked out in gorgeous saris and heavy jewelry, and are represented along oversimplified moral lines. More often than not, the positive female character has to face opposition from a negative female antagonist who has no sense of morality, keeps multiple partners and is always trying to break up families.

FAIR & LOVELY

The problematic portrayal of women on television extends to advertising as well. Around a decade ago, Indian TV was permeated with advertisements of Fair & Lovely — a skin-lightening cream — spurring young women across the country into changing their skin color. Skin lightening is a $500-million industry in India, and in 2010 it was estimated to be growing at a rate of 18%. From whitening facial skin, underarms and even bleaching the vagina, Indian TV ads had all the options. It was not uncommon to see ads where a woman is rejected at a job interview or by her lover because of her skin color.

You can read the full article here: https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/bollywood-entertainment-industry-sexism-harassment-india-culture-news-52418/