The women in the media are like the white clouds grazing in the sky like a meadow, while their heroes are like the black, grey and brown clouds rarely appearing in the monsoon season. While it is not the case with every media, unfortunately, this thought has become normalised in our minds and opinions whenever we think of women in media. Media is a prominent way of propagating information, ideas, views, opinions, etc. Media plays an integral part in communicating with the people in this society. Media is of two types- electronic and print. The electronic media includes television, radio, etc. The print media includes newspapers, pamphlets, etc. Media has always been used to convey messages to people either directly or indirectly. However, representation is the key to conveying that message because it allows us to picture it as having a reality and causes the mind to process it in actuality. Therefore, representation plays a critical part in terms of how we think of a person. 

In the context of art, I have observed that the representation of women mostly came from women of higher social status who had enough money to hire painters or commission sculptures. Their portraits and sculptures were always painted in a timeless glamour, highlighting their innocence and fragility. Women of the middle or lower social status hardly ever had the same exposure. Their world has always remained a mystery. Their plight is similar to our preference for gold over any other metal. However, the women who have pursued a career as artists have often dealt with general disapproval and have faced more discrimination and humiliation than their male counterparts (Mittal, 2020). For example, during Durga puja in West Bengal, the idols of the goddess are sculptured by men and women are prohibited from making or even painting these idols (Sen, 2019). This is the case, when the Goddess Durga is considered the embodiment of female strength!

 Art plays a huge part in creating or differentiating a culture. Every culture has a different aesthetic value and significance. For instance, we tend to identify hyperrealistic paintings with Europe and ink-stroked paintings with China. But art also has the power to create a surrealistic delusion that whatever is present on a piece of paper portrays society. Art is subjective. However, when one interpretation gets imposed upon people, it could become a catalyst for creating rifts and divides. For instance, we could look at the movement of ‘aestheticism’. ‘Aestheticism’ is an art movement which began in the 19th century. This movement is known for perceiving something as valuable solely based on its appearance rather than its function (“Aestheticism”, n.d). This movement says that art must always be considered “beautiful” to the viewer (“Aestheticism”, n.d). In my opinion, this movement is the main reason for the demise of good writing and meaningful messages in films. Moreover, I believe this produced the standards of being “beautiful”, bringing us to the representation of women in cinema. 

Before discussing films, we can briefly talk about the representation of women in other performing arts that preceded it. In the early ages of performing arts like the theatre, women had no right to act and perform on stage. While the male actors were portraying these female characters back then (Webb, n.d). Therefore, the representation of women in these performing arts had entirely been a form of fiction.  Now, in the context of films, throughout all of its stages, women have been sexualised for the benefit of the male gaze. The male gaze is the act of depicting women in the world of the visual arts and in literature from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer (“Male Gaze”, n.d). This gaze is related to the statement, “sex sells”. This statement is the most honest yet morally questionable description of any media. Film-makers have always been quick to display society’s desires on the screen to earn their livelihood for survival. Film media has become more of a business or cash grab rather than an outlet for expressing creativity. Unfortunately, in this day and age, when movies play a significant part in our daily conversations, it is impossible to find a realistic reflection of society. 

In advertising, women’s natural features, like body hair, have always been targeted as insecurities and are considered undesirable. I believe that this ties in with the value of aestheticism. Even though men and women become subject to a certain “beauty standard”. Yet, the latter have always been the worst affected by it.  It makes women not find value in themselves unless they fit a standard or mould of beauty, which utterly ruins and narrows their self-confidence (Papadiki, 2010). The capitalist society also feeds on these insecurities and uses it to their advantage. An example would be “The Pink Tax” levied on feminine products like razors, which are the same as men’s razors but cost significantly more (Feingold, 2022). The makeup industry also uses this to increase its sales.  

The portrayal of women in the media has always been a fascinating topic because some people believe that if women have dominating roles and modest looks, it would solve the problem of objectifying women. But these people forget the fact that women have been both objectified and sexualised regardless of their looks or roles. I believe this to be the reason for the increase in disgusting crimes such as rape that strip women of their dignity. Rather than decreasing, these rates keep on increasing day by day.  It is a grave concern that even though we preach for a functional society, we still discriminate against a large part of its population. 

To conclude, the representation of women in media and art has always been varied. However, it still manages to maintain the scenario of discrimination and objectification of women. 

 References

Asceticism. (n.d). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asceticism

Feingold, S. (2022, July 14). What is the ‘pink tax’ and how does it hinder women? World Economic Forum. Retrieved March 22, 2024, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/what-is-the-pink-tax-and-how-does-it-hinder-women/

Male gaze. (n.d). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_gaze

Mittal, T. (2020, October 29). Underrepresentation of Female Painters in History of art. Dhaara Magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2024, from https://dhaaramagazine.in/2020/10/29/underrepresentation-of-female-painters-in-history-of-art/

Papadaki, E. (2010, March 10). Feminist Perspectives on Objectification. In E. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition). https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-objectification/

Sen, A. (2019, October 18). Kolkata’s Potters’ Colony: Kumortuli. Sahapedia. Retrieved March 23, 2024, from https://www.sahapedia.org/kolkatas-potters-colony-kumortuli