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Woman, perfection is thy name
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Freud once famously wondered, "What does a woman want?" He never figured it out, but many advertisers did
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Photo: Ramesh Sharma
Playing contrasting roles is the order of the day
Welcome to a new world where women in advertising create a mythical, WASP-orientated scenario in which no one is ever ugly, overweight, poor, struggling or disabled!
The world is filled with mass media and advertising is a source of information on what we get in the world. The messages that the media sends out are not always healthy ones.
"In today's media, women are looked upon as a "tool" that can help sell just about any product and that is so unfortunate. There is no arguing that sex sells. Women and sex are often a great combination when trying to get a product to come off the shelves!" is the perception of Mukesh, Kumar the former three-time Hockey Olympian.
Everywoman
Now look at this new projection of women who live a `Super Woman Image' where they are supposed to do it all. "Along with working a full-time job, a woman can still play the role of mother and take care of children , clean, cook, and maintain a healthy relationship with her husband. This is not true at all in the real world because so much is portrayed in the media that people feel it is necessary to have really high expectations for women!" says Russ Hawthorne, a senior IT consultant.
Do these new super-heroines empower or subjugate the everyday women in the real world? Women in ads are masked with makeup, and almost always present a picture that is airbrushed to perfection.
Male view
"Young women should not be overly consumed by anxiety about how they look. Instead they should have the confidence to pursue goals in more valuable aspects of life," says Archana Naidoo, a programme coordinator with a top-notch educational establishment.
Despite the different target audiences, advertisements and commercials define women through the lens of male sexuality. The audience only gains knowledge from these through a male interpretation. This in turn lures women to view the world through the desires of men.
Many women are portrayed as `sufferers' and men as their `rescuers' like we see in most home appliances ads, detergent ads and pain reliever ads.
When bombarded by almost paper-thin models and constantly being told about new improved diets, fairness creams, anti-ageing miracles, beauty potions and exercise techniques, most women tend to feel inferior.
The women portrayed in ads seem to have great bones and forever-glowing skin and yes, they are supposedly blessed with the sort of casual beauty that we all covet. But then, they are the norms for movie stars and supermodels. "It is true to say that not all women have the same need. The need of the woman who stays at home, raising children will differ widely from the high flying career woman," says Sandeep Pannikkal, a retail banking professional.
Granted, marketers are never going to show an ugly slob (ugliness is another subject to be debated upon) in an ad because no one wants to see that and we all aspire to something better. But if all we see is unachievable representation of ourselves then certain unhealthy illusions about ourselves are sure to emerge.
Women are seeking answers to Freud's famous question— "What does a woman want? They want the same things from life, from love, from workplace and from relationships - to be heard and be respected.
LASYA VEMPARALA
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