Our understanding and perception of gender roles and identities are significantly shaped by the media. The way gender is portrayed in popular culture, such as on television, in movies, in advertisements, and on social media, may have a significant effect on our attitudes and ideas about gender. The depiction of gender stereotypes in the media is one of the main factors influencing gender representation. Media representations of men and women that are stereotypically portrayed have the potential to perpetuate negative gender norms and expectations, such as the notion that males should be aggressive and powerful while women should be submissive and caring. This may exacerbate prejudice and gender inequality. Gender representations in mass media influences our ‘Behavioural Expectations’. Proper representation helps combat stereotypes and ignorance. According to Almy, “Media portrayals of gender are significant as they reinforce a dominant (hegemonic) ideology — representing men as superior and women as subordinate.”
While representation of genders is concerned, it is not about the screen time but about the way they are represented. Maitrayee Chaudhuri in ‘Gender and Advertisements: The Rhetoric of Globalisation’ says that “A central debate among feminist media scholars, concerns the ‘distortion theme’ that, media raises the contentious question of the relationship between ‘reality’ and ‘representation’”. In various advertisements, the portrayal of genders is flagrant. Women are always shown in domestic spheres in ads. While men are shown going out achieving something and being appreciated, women are shown to be appreciated for their “Kadak chai” and “tide clothes” behind their men’s success. The toxic masculinity forms the very basis of the representation of men in ads. Men are shown to be encouraging their sons in ads to fight back and not to care about their clothes getting dirty since his wife is ready to clean their clothes up. While men are shown posing with domestic appliances, women are shown using them. Men are shown in charge of buying high value goods in ‘Tanishq Gold’ ads while women look for a sale and buy low value purchases since they are not the bread winners of the family.
There is a new concept of ‘Femvertising’ which focusses on feminist advertising. While femvertising should deal with women empowerment, it does not glorify women as a working woman but ends up glorifying male as “helping hands” behind them. Although there has been an increasing number of female cab drivers, it is never shown in medias. The femvertising is a part of ‘New Indian’ which Maitrayee Chaudhuri says, “Would hold true for both men and women, with the difference that images of a traditional woman homemaker coexist with adverts of female high achievers, while for men images of high achievers are always at the forefront.” This kind of representation in media an ads influences everyone to form a pre-conceived notions of gender role. Marshall McLuhan even says “Ads are the cave arts of the 20th century.”
The media also struggles with Queer representation, either there is no representation of queer in ads or they are represented in a depreciating manner. An ad of Burger King’s ‘Pride whooper’ burger showed a whooper with identical tops and bottoms, this ad received a backlash because of its limited representation of queer. There has only been a ‘token representation’ of the queer which is also termed as ‘Gay Window Advertising’ which is a coded representation of queer which only the queer community can understand and not the binary audience so as to get viewership from all communities. Singapore’s local Chinese drama, ‘My Guardian Angel’ portrays gays as pedophile spreading STDs.
Even in the rapidly changing media landscape of the 21st century, movies have remained an integral part of Popular Culture. While new methods have arrived, millions of audiences still flock to the theatres to watch their favourite actor onscreen. This merely serves as a reflection of how big of role movies and cinema or just mass media in general play in our lives.
Historically, films have frequently reinforced conventional gender stereotypes, with males presented as powerful and domineering and women as meek and subservient. Male characters are prized for their physical strength and violence, whereas female characters are frequently sexualized and objectified. Women are commonly presented as damsels in distress, needing male heroes’ rescue. Female characters are frequently restricted to supporting roles and do not have the same amount of depth or development as male ones. All these facts point towards the existing problem of gender-based discrimination and lack of representation in the film industry. The term ‘actress’ itself is laden with subtle sexism.
Moreover, several Bollywood movies are riddled with sexist dialogues. For instance, the movie Jab we met likened a lone woman to a treasure chest. The dialogue, “Women should learn to tolerate a little”, from the movie Thappad, basically sums up the attitude of a large portion of society towards domestic violence.
One of the progressive movies of recent times, Pink starring Taapsee Pannu is a significant movie, not just because it addresses an essential topic of victim-blaming, but also because it breaks traditions and reinforces mainstream cinema in a variety of ways. The movie takes the aspect of consent, and specifically sexual consent as its central theme. Pink is one of those hard-hitting movies about the ‘character assassination‘ every woman faces because she decides to take command of her life and shape it on her terms. The film actively examines society’s preconceived assumptions about independent women, the clothes they wear, and the number of men they befriend or choose to sleep with. That certain “kind” of women need to be “punished” for their social friendliness and the type of clothes they choose to wear which serve as an “invitation” for men to misbehave. Delivering some of the most powerful dialogues of our times like- “These boys must understand that No means No”, and “In our society, a girl’s character is decided by the time she returns home”, Pink is a powerful take on the existing misogyny in the society and makes the audience question everything that is wrong with us today.
Furthermore, there have been some positive changes in recent times concerning Queer representation in Bollywood movies too. We now have more movies portraying LGBTQ+ people and stories in a more nuanced and sensitive approach. These films frequently examine the difficulties that LGBT people encounter in Indian cultures, such as discrimination, prejudice, and violence. “Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan”, a 2020 Bollywood movie contributes significantly to queer representation in mainstream media. The film is remarkable for its representation of LGBTQ+ people and issues that are both positive and respectful, as well as its ability to blend serious themes with humour and lightheartedness.
Gender representation in mass media remains contentious, and while there has been some progress in recent years there is still a long way to go. Our society and how individuals perceive themselves and others are significantly affected by gender representation in mass media. It is undeniable that the media has the power to influence societal perceptions and reinforce stereotypes as well as break them down. To achieve a more equitable and inclusive representation, media companies, advertisers, and consumers must work together to create a more collaborative environment. Media should understand that representation is complex because lived experiences are complex. It is possible to create a more equitable and inclusive society by destroying gender stereotypes in the media. The social reproduction needs to be called off to make this era an inclusive space for all.
