WOMEN IN TELEVISION: DEPICTIONS AND DISTORTIONS

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 women’s 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 1980’s 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
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. It’s also a known fact that children’s
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, Do’s and Don’ts 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 TV’s Teen Bahuranian, Har Ghar
Kuch Kahta Hai,
Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyaan, Meri Doli Tere Angna; Sony TV’s 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

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 self-
worth; 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

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 Kapoor’s 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 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.

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 women’s
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 company’s
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

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? Don’t 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 women’s groups since it ‘showcased’
woman to sell a
product used by men in a ‘cheap’ way. Similar other examples are
advertisements of
VIP Frenchie, McDowell’s.

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 woman’s 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,
men’s shaving
lotions and underwear. Even in commercials of the products consumed
mostly by men-
alcohol, 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,

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 family’s 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 Dutt’s 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
women’s 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 women’s
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.
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 women’s
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 woman’s 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
Children’s 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. Children’s 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, risk-
taking 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. Aren’t
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
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 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.

Inspite 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 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,
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, children’s
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 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 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.
 Notes & References

Anand, Meenu (2006) Commodification of Women: The Irony. ‘Women’s 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 & Women’s Issues. Sage
Publications
Nigam, Shalu (2002) Women, Obscenity and the law Legal News and Views. Vol 16 No.
12. Social Action Trust

University of Delhi BA Programme II