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A look at women through ads and news items
You don't see too many women hanging clothes on a clothesline any
more. You don't see too many women stitching a button on the husband's
shirt any more. You don't see too many women waking up their husbands
with a cup of tea any more. You don't see too many women using a
cosmetic and going out and getting a job any more. Hell, you don't even see
too manywomenwearing pink any more!
Whatever happened to the affectionate, appreciative husband singing,
“she's a special woman, she's my wife”? Whatever happened to the
husband who got a promotion because his wife slaved over his white shirt?
Whatever happened to the handsome young man who ran up the staircase
following her fragrance while she went up the lift?
Instead, we have Adam teasing. Girls in a college classroom going yes,
yes, yes to sell watches. Then there's the girl who treats a man like a dog on
a leash… don't let it happen to you, do register at the online marriage site.
The young husband (there is a wedding photo to prove it, in case you
thought Salaam Namaste) who returns home in the morning after
working all night at a BPO, cooks breakfast, (though he is a bit messy), and
wakes her up with a cup of tea. The lady - in the army - who undresses
publicly to demonstrate reversible jeans. The woman on the bike biting the
man's ears, leaving all the women around jealous, curious, and wanting
the same.
And the boldest of them all: the Femina daughter who gets her
widowed mother remarried. In comparison, even the Fair and Lovely
cricket commentator seems tame.
Well, at least you can't complain anymore that women in advertising are
being shown as props and objects.
If anything, they are getting men to cook, redecorate the house, wax
their legs and are generally taking revenge, giving them a hard time or
having fun at their expense.
The picture that emerges
Just pick up a few magazines and newspapers and cut out a few items
here and there. And see the picture that emerges.
“Power goddess” says a magazine cover. “From boardrooms to
courtrooms, research labs to operation theaters, Indian women leap across
the gender divide and take charge”. “Front Liners” says another. “From
corporate warriors to sharp politicians, the mistresses of crises show why
the future is safe in their hands”.
Articles compiling a long list of women in top jobs in marketing
departments of big companies. Saying that women are better at
understanding consumer needs and turning them into business
opportunities. Pointing out that they are in all kinds of categories -
including liquor, consumer durables, bikes, and engineering. Even
molecular oncology! Even forestry! Even Air Marshalry! Even potato
farming!
“HEIDI” says another headline. Highly Educated, Independent,
Degree carrying Individual.
1.5 lakh women graduate as doctors every year. 50% of students who
pass out every year with a bachelor's degree in humanities are women. 18%
of organized sector employees are women. 21% of India's software
professionals are women.
And the amazing combinations. The Cornell postgraduate with anNGO
in Kutch. The Australian MBA who hunted down 13 dacoits in Uttar
Pradesh.
Conquering male preserves: Aspiration is a collective noun.
Then, there are the “all women” news items. “Women's collectives are
changing terms of existence not just for women, but for everyone. From
drivers to handpumpmechanics,womenare showing the way”.
The all women police station in Bhopal. The all women houseboat crew in
Kerala. The all women's newspaper in Chitrakoot. The all women's micro
credit bank in Satara with over 3000 shareholders and 25000 customers.
(So it's not only in the boardrooms of ICICI and HSBC!). The all women
sherpa team. The Self Help Group that drives buses in Thiruvallur district.
The all girl basketball team from Chattisgarh that has gone to Malaysia,
China and Dubai. The 77,210 panchayat heads. The increasing number of
girls driving the Royal Enfield in Punjab, joining motorcycle clubs, and
participating in the BulletRoad Club's annual mobike trip to Khardungla.
Why hide my unhappiness?
And in case you ever felt even a vague twinge of doubt about any of the
things you were doing or feeling, there's reassurance aplenty in the
surveys.
63%women agree that a woman needs a break once in a while from her
family. (You are not the only one!) 71% agree that a woman can plan her
own independent holiday. (“We need a break from being the family filofax
even on holidays” they say!) 55% of divorce cases have women as primary
petitioners. 30% more women report rape and violence. More women
initiate psychiatric counseling than men.