Sexist Societal Notions Conveyed through Advertisements

Advertisements have been sexist traditionally. Pratima analyses these, in this column. An exclusive for Different Truths.

“The history of men’s opposition to women’s emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself.” ~ Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

Television was the greatest innovation in modern India, which was looked at as a harbinger of modern ideas, values and notions. It was thought by many that the box brimming with esoteric ideas would root out or at least challenge the traditional and orthodox values of the society and would usher in an emancipated mindset in order to review things from a fresh point of view.

With the innumerable advertisements showing women solely in charge and responsible of household chores — of cooking, cleaning and washing clothes — they were made to understand yet again that their marginalisation in the society is intact and that they were still seen as the original inhabitants of the domestic sphere, while the men were happily kept away from its precincts.

Unfortunately, the thought toppled over and television instead of generating liberal ideas exposed the already prevailing misogyny and patriarchy in the Indian order. With the innumerable advertisements showing women solely in charge and responsible of household chores — of cooking, cleaning and washing clothes — they were made to understand yet again that their marginalisation in the society is intact and that they were still seen as the original inhabitants of the domestic sphere, while the men were happily kept away from its precincts.

While still the daughters-in-law are pictured as worthy if they excelled in culinary skills and impressed the parents-in-law and husband, the latter could easily escape societal judgment only by being a non-violent man not beating his better half or at the most gifting a brand new Prestige cooker to his shining connoisseur, his wife — “Kyunki jo biwi se kare pyar wo Prestige se kaise kare inkaar” (One who loves his wife cannot deny her a Prestige cooker). The cooker would apparently make the domestic work, supposed to be done by wife and her alone, easier. Also, the cooker would perhaps enhance in quick-cooking in order that more delicacies could be cooked for the man of the house and gladden his heart.

The men apparently are free from their household chores and duties and are only portrayed as proud bread-winners for the family for whose convenience all household chores have to be perfectly accomplished.

The women are mostly presented as homemakers and all the troubles of not been able to keep a perfect household are accorded to them. Ujala bleach with the tagline — “Aya naya Ujala char boondo wala” — always shows women in a constant struggle to get cleaner/ whiter clothes. Similarly, the saviour dishwashing soap, Vim Bar takes good care of the woman’s soft palms, while cleaning utensils. The men apparently are free from their household chores and duties and are only portrayed as proud bread-winners for the family for whose convenience all household chores have to be perfectly accomplished.

In an abominable advertisement by Everest Masala, the husband and wife are seen sitting in the courtroom and the husband is adamant on divorcing her because he is bored of the monotonous taste of the paneer (cottage cheese) vegetable cooked by her. In an equally deplorable solution, the magistrate offers the woman to change her spice and add a tinge of Everest Masala and finally by the grace of the flavoured spice, their marriage is saved. It seems rather wretched and unimaginable that the worth of a woman can be bartered with a pinch of some ordinary kitchen masala. The message is direct and clear that if the wife had not changed the masala flavour, she would have been replaced by someone else by her husband. Women are seen as objects, they have to be of some use and get a certificate for their culinary and household skills else they could be ousted from the household.

In many advertisements by the fairness cream companies like Fair and Lovely, the women get attention by men and get a marriage proposal only after lightening their dark Indian complexion. Such advertisements reinstate the flooding of highly prized and desired fair bride in the matrimonial columns.

In many advertisements by the fairness cream companies like Fair and Lovely, the women get attention by men and get a marriage proposal only after lightening their dark Indian complexion. Such advertisements reinstate the flooding of highly prized and desired fair bride in the matrimonial columns.  And in a few more denigrating advertisements of deodorants, like Axe, women are seen clinging to the man applying that deodorant and willingly enter into physical relationship with him. Again women here are objectified and seen as sex toys with no brains subsumed into the power of aroma, popularly called “the Axe effect.”

In an era, where women are making great strides in the world, where they are proving to be better administrators and flaunting their capabilities by leading countries like Germany, Taiwan, New Zealand, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Denmark and setting them off free from the onslaught of the Coronavirus, the depiction of women simply as homemakers is highly regrettable.

However, a few organisations are working towards to bring about a change in the sexist societal attitude. In a recent advertisement of Dollar Apparels, with the tagline “Wear the Change”, the Bollywood star Akshay Kumar playing the role of an emancipated father, narrates a bedtime story to his daughter where the male lead is rescued by a female lead rather than its expected opposite.

However, a few organisations are working towards to bring about a change in the sexist societal attitude. In a recent advertisement of Dollar Apparels, with the tagline “Wear the Change”, the Bollywood star Akshay Kumar playing the role of an emancipated father, narrates a bedtime story to his daughter where the male lead is rescued by a female lead rather than its expected opposite. The advertisement aptly shatters the idea of coyness and fragility, which has been long associated with women and bravery and courage with males.

The detergent Ariel’s advertisement and slogan, “Share the Load” depict how a patriarchal father realises after watching his daughter do household chores after marriage how he never participated in any household chores and decides to share washing laundry with his wife. Thankfully, some such thoughtful and modern advertisements are sporadically erupting in the midst of the overwhelming patriarchal advertisements and they seem to be a gleaming promise that in future things will change for the better; as the famous tagline of Havells advertisement in which the wife’s maiden surname is maintained by the husband prophesies, “Hawa Badlegi”. (A wind of change will usher in).

Photo from the Internet