How media affects gender equality

As everyone knows, today's youngsters are the key to our future world. They have the most impact on future developments, society, culture, language, mindsets, norms and of course gender equality. Apart from school, family and friends, media plays a major role in youngsters' lives. Not only does it help us form opinions and take sides, it also teaches us many concepts and affects our thoughts and emotions. So, how does the media, which is supposed to have an immense responsibility to educate the upcoming generations, influence gender inequality?

From my standpoint, I would say that media has more negative influence on gender inequality than a positive influence. But I'm not saying that it is the objective of media to discourage equality. No, in fact they predominantly do what they do with good intentions, but sometimes the opposite of their expected effect occurs. And also, some of the advertisements and articles that are supposed to promote gender equality are actually offensive if you think about them.

In the 20th century, where patriarchy was present in most countries, you could see countless advertisements that portrayed gender stereo types openly. The people were so used to them, that they didn't find any of them offensive, but when we look at them nowadays, we find those ads outrageous. However many of us don't realize that this gender stereotyping hasn't stopped yet. It is just that they are more hidden. You can see fair, slim women wearing quite revealing clothes advertising cars or junk food. This is (obviously) to attract men. If women aren't portrayed as mentioned above, then as one of the general stereotypes: the shy housewife, the to-be-bride, the young mother etc. But women aren't the only ones being stereotyped, the men are too. You can see the bulky, muscular men, the nerdy type, the clueless type and so on. For example there was once an advertisement of a popular brand with the following motto: “Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a boss.” This is extremely sexist, because it implies that only men can think logically and women are only recognized because of their appearance. 

You can say that the purpose of an advertisement is to convince people to buy the product and thus the gender stereotypes are justified, but we need to understand how bad an influence it is on the young ones. They feel the need to become one of the stereotypes, because it is “cool” and because only those type of people are attractive or accepted in social groups.

The representation of genders in advertisements isn't as big a problem as some of the products themselves. The inference that only fair-skinned girls can find their life partner and thus dark-skinned girls should utilize fairness creams and cosmetic products creates unnecessary expectations and complexes. Dark-skinned girls aren't satisfied with their looks and are in most cases under-confident because of this; boys in general think that only fair-skinned girls can qualify as their girlfriends. A similar controversial product is diet and slimming food products. A cereal brand was advertised with the following tagline: “This summer lose your weight not your confidence.” What was this supposed to mean? Yes, you can only be confident if you aren't overweight. This is a blow to the self-respect of many girls. They become too self-conscious of their weight and in extreme cases end up with eating disorders. 

I am not saying that these products should banned, no, many people are willing to use them and that is their choice. What I'm trying to explain is that no one should be put down because of their appearance and physical qualities. These kind of products should be advertised in a manner that no one gets offended due to them.

The next main grey area in media, is the portrayal of the different genders in films. As you all know, films are a major source of entertainment and hence a very popular form of media. The most ideal films, in my opinion are light comedies or films about social issues and solutions to them. But unfortunately several films are of the so-called genre “masala” which basically refers to a cliché film containing a bit from all main genres. In these kind of films there are so many gender stereotypes. A typical “masala” film features a fair, slim heroine who is very emotional and naive – a damsel in distress. The heroine's role is so insignificant that even if you take them out of the plot, it remains the same. The hero is muscular and is shown as a very violent and impulsive person, who always saves the day. The villain is mostly the heroine's father or a local politician. 

All these stereotypes manipulate the minds of young, growing people in a way that they think this is how a perfect person should be. What they don't understand is that no one is perfect. You don't have to be fair or slim or muscular or violent to be attractive. Many a times they try to become someone who they are not. Also parents aren't aware of all these effects films have on children and teenagers. These kind of films makes people imagine too many things and also creates unrealistic hopes about their futures. Films shouldn't only entertain, they should also educate. So why aren't there more films where the heroine is dark-skinned, intelligent and independent? Why can't the hero be clever, but also emotional? Why is it such a taboo for a man to cry? 

People working in the film industry, like any other industry get a specific income. But, for actors the income varies drastically, depending on the budget and the success of the film they act in. Even though this is the case, actresses are often paid a lot less than actors. The worst part about this is, their talent and their work isn't really considered for this decision. Even if their performance in the film was much superior than the actor's, it just doesn't matter. Of course, this may not be true for all cases, but generally this is what happens. I admire many actresses, who have openly talked about this problem on interviews. I hope they make a difference for the future artists in that industry.

Many of us may think that  this inequality in payment in the film industry doesn't matter, because the actresses affected by this still get a higher salary in a single film than most us could earn in a decade. But this only speaks for the most popular actresses. If the gender inequality in salary exists in a large industry like Bollywood, then imagine small screen actresses and television anchors. They are affected significantly by this inequality. Media needs to understand what they are doing and how it affects the youth's perspective of gender stereotypes and equality. The future of our generation has a huge connection to media, so it is our duty to make them understand. Do not support sexist portrayal of men or women. Criticize media for their blunders. Stand up for both your gender and the opposite gender. 

– R
* I'm not rude, I'm outspoken.

What Being a Feminist Really Means

Feminism: Noun: Feminism is a range of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish opportunities for women in education and employment on the grounds of the equality of the sexes.

Now that you have read the definition, I hope that all your misconceptions about this commonly misused word are cleared. Feminism, like most new, badly “translated” words (Netflix and chill, anyone?) is under fire. It pops up every now and then on our Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr feeds and leaves us confused and confounded. In the age of social media where so many opinions and experiences exist, perspectives will vary. And while this may often lead to misunderstanding, conflict and even hatred, it is important to put yourself in another person’s shoes and understand the situation fully before you have fixed opinions. Contrary to popular notions, feminists do not want to strip men of their power or jobs. We (as I am a feminist and proud of it) are here to enable equal rights for both the genders. Many a times, men especially like to berate or point out the fact that feminists “hate” men. Fighting for women’s rights has become too synonymous with man-hating. Why does that opinion even come up? Because feminists merely want women to be able to be credible engineers and scientists and not just tokens? Because women, like men, should have the right to choose a career over marriage? Because a woman’s clothing shouldn’t determine her character? Because women simply want the same rights as the men have? Why should loving and standing up for yourself be equivalent to hating someone else?

In order to avoid confusion and unnecessary conflict, it is important to differentiate the roles of a feminist and a feminazi. A feminazi is a sexist and a feminist is a person who believes in equality of the genders. So while feminists believe in equal rights for us, the feminazis just make us look stupid. The feminazis want women to have more rights than men do. Feminazis want women to have more power than men do.  Feminazis are the ones that think all men are ‘idiots’ and that women need “women only” spaces in a man-dominating world. And ultimately they want that space to become the world. Feminazis are the ones that want change yet refuse forward progression. The purpose of feminism is to bring about parity, not bias.

Feminism, simply and synonymously put, is a spiritual, physical and virtual movement that promises equal respect at all frontiers for both men and women. Why do we even need feminism? Because every time a woman gets paid less for doing the same work a man gets paid more for, its unjust. We need feminism because every time a woman is sexually assaulted and is asked to keep quiet about or is even blamed for the assault (as she was wearing ‘provocative clothes’), it is unjust that the perpetrator is able to roam free of charges (in most cases). And to everyone pulling the “this is real feminism, not (insert here)” argument: Women who are fighting for economic equality are feminists. Women who are pushing back against patriarchal traditions are feminists. Women who are fighting against double-standards, slut-shaming and rape culture are also feminists. Women who take issue with degrading lyrics are also feminists. Women who fight in any way to be seen as equals to men… are feminists. And guess what? Men who want equality between the genders are also feminists.

When anyone believes in the equality of the sexes, there are so many things that can entail.  You may be thinking (or better put, maybe you can’t think) of issues where women face inequality.  Even in developed countries, women are at a disadvantage when it comes to salary, especially at the workplace. It is estimated that a woman earns only 77% of what a man earns in the same position. At this rate, it may take up to 45 years to eliminate the wage gap. As Jennifer Lawrence refreshingly, honestly, and humorously said: “It’s hard for me to speak about my experience as a working woman because I can safely say my problems aren’t exactly relatable. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I realized every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled’.” Yes, while it may not seem like a pressing issue in a coveted and large industry like Hollywood or even Bollywood, the wage gap is definitely worrying in less rich fields. There are many other such blasphemous issues such as women in Africa and Asia being married before the legal age of 18, discriminatory divorce rights, unequal legal rights and even access to education.

I like the saying that it is fun being a woman in a man’s world because after all we can wear the pants but the men can’t wear dresses. However, I can’t say the its fun in other situations. When a man acts like a leader, he is called a boss. But when a woman takes control and is bossy, she is called a bitch. I beg to differ. It is more like she is being in total control of herself. However, there is also a problem with making a big fuss whenever a woman achieves something. By making it seem like a big deal, not only does it bolster the gap between the genders but also does it make it seem like it’s a rare or surprising feat. So how about saying “She is important and she is a woman” instead of saying “She is important because she is a woman.” I don’t see articles on ’25 badass male characters’ or ’25 men who are changing the world’… so I must ask, why is it such a big deal if a woman accomplishes the same thing a man does, but only the woman’s feat is publicized as if out of the ordinary?

When we talk about gender equality, it is important to remember that there are equally pressing issues for men also. As eloquently and aptly put by Emma Watson in her speech for the #HeForShe campaign, at the UN headquarters back in 2014, feminism is not just for women. We don’t often speak about men imprisoned by gender stereotypes but they do exist. Fathers are not given nearly as much credit in the upbringing of a child and this is especially clear since paternity leaves are much much shorter than maternity leaves (at most firms). Men suffering from mental illness are scared to talk to people about it or bring it up publicly in fear of how of being seen as less of a man. It is even considered a sign of weakness if a man cries. That is completely ridiculous! Men should be allowed to be sensitive. Women should be allowed to be strong and independent. When girls are allowed to wear blue then what is wrong with a boy liking pink?

“If feminism isn’t powerful, if feminism isn’t influential, people wouldn’t spend so much time putting it down” – Jessica Valenti. I think that pretty much sums up what feminism is really all about. It’s a movement that preaches impartiality. That’s it. Not so complicated now is it?

-       -- V

*I am not rude. I am outspoken.