Objectification of Women in Media
Cinema
is a facet of the media, which is a large socio-cultural factor. It is seen as
one of the most effective mediums of visual communications today. "In such
instances, film is not even the final target of inquiry, but part of a wider
argument about representation - the social process of making images, sounds,
signs, stand for something - in film or television"
Bollywood
is the general name for the Hindi-language movie industry based in Mumbai
(formerly Bombay).
History
of Bollywood songs
1950s
The black and white era of 1950s was marked by songs shot in static frames with
all the action happening through the eyes and eyebrows of the lead actors. The
only change that came about was an eventual slight ‘movement’ within the given
frame. Therefore, from extreme close[1]ups
of the face to some relevant cut-ins of the moon, the flowers and the rustling
of leaves, Bollywood songs welcomed more elements that added to the dynamics of
the romance (The Express Tribune, The Indian Express, 2018).
1960s
The
1960s was rightly called the decade of pure dance. The female actors danced to
the tunes. They were clad in sarees, and their dance was as pure as gold. The
songs resonated not just the beauty of the actors but also the sanctity of
songs of this era.
1970s
The
1970s was the cabaret or the disco phase in Indian Cinema. The placement of the
songs highlighted the plot. This was the decade when ‘Item Numbers’ were
introduced. This trend gained popularity and is still prevalent today. These
numbers either were meant to entice the villain or were shot to add thrill to
the climax. Actresses who danced to these tunes, made guest appearances. They
were not a part of the entire screenplay. Most of these songs were filmed as
party songs where the actresses danced their way trying to get through the main
lead’s heart with their piercing eyes or body movements, trying to hypnotize
everyone watching them. Many zoom shots were used for the same, both on their
faces and their midriffs. Rarely did that look odd.
1980s
The
only thing that changed in the 1980s was that that the film’s female lead began
doing exactly what the actresses who appeared as guests had done a decade
earlier. They romanced the actors in a setting that perfectly fit into the
smooth screenplay. Music and songs in this period were connected intimately to
the storyline
1990s
As the 1980s ended, the softness and subtle
nuances of these songs began giving way to fast and orchestral forms. There was
dance, a lot of it! There were celebrations, as onscreen romance became more
fearless. There was open flirting as actors and actresses broke into a dance
number at the drop of a hat. Luckily, none of it looked jarring. Among all of
it, its manner of picturization also changed with more proximity between the
actors. As the curtains came down on the decade, and even the millennium,
Bollywood songs became bigger. This era also had television opening up to
private productions. The coming of VCR and cable networks not only affected the
films but also their songs. The reach grew and so did the money that went into
producing songs.
2000s
In the 2000s, there was increasing skin show,
quick moves and loud compositions. No film was complete without its dance
number. Sometimes the songs were used to introduce a character, sometimes, in
the end credits to show the “happily ever after”. They were all shot larger
than life on a budget which would have been enough to produce a separate film
altogether. This phase saw the canvas of songs grow to exorbitant levels.
2010s
As
the 2000s entered its second decade, the “item songs” were back and with more
action. While the heroines kept twisting and turning, the debate around
objectification of a female body kept intensifying. The lens zoomed in and out
of their torsos and bellies, from their lips to their 7 hips. Filmmakers kept
selling their movies on these songs and cinefans kept dancing to them at
parties. In the 2010s, songs lost their storytelling role. The screenplay was
not really developed. All the actors had to do was to get into some
gymnastic-like dance, which was fast cut on the editing table. Item Songs are
now added to the movie to sell more tickets at the box office rather than to
add substance to the screenplay.
This
is because item in filmy Mumbai slang is used by Indian men to sexualize women.
The classic meaning of item number refers to highly sexualized songs with racy
imagery and suggestive lyrics. The item number would feature an item girl who
appeared in the film as a dancer, usually in a bar or nightclub, and was only
in the film for the length of that song. In these songs a woman wearing
provocative clothes is served as a sex object among many men through obscene
lyrics. Women are the most frequent targets of objectification within music
lyrics, and female artists are more likely than male artists are to objectify
themselves
Aubrey
and colleagues (2011) suggest that sexual objectification can occur via visual
representations of the body (e.g., mentions of skin exposure, body parts, sexy
clothing) or behavioral representations of the body (e.g., sexualized dance,
gestures, male/female gaze). In addition, when women engage in the sexual
objectification of their own bodies (self[1]objectification),
they encourage young men’s belief that male gaze and attention is invited.
The
person who receives the gaze is often meant to be a sex object for the gazer,
particularly when the gaze is focused on specific body parts rather than on a
person’s face or overall person. Studies also mentioned that women have been
portrayed as sex objects by the use of revealing or provocative clothing, and
exposing excessive amount of skin.
The
Indian Film Industry is highly dominated by male directors. And, the few female
directors we have also fall into the trap of creating content that sells. Since
the catchy and upbeat tunes of the songs earned the producers a large amount of
money in the 1990s, the filmmakers adopted this scheme and made it a trend in
the 2000s. Many top stars in Bollywood and many newcomers entering the industry
find item numbers a more amenable shortcut to success, as opposed to more
traditional roles with no guarantee of eventual stardom. The more indecent the
song is, the more innuendo-filled the lyrics are – the catchier it becomes. The
formula of combining these provocative lyrics with a super catchy tune is being
followed so blindly, that the producers and viewers fail to see the impact it
is having on the society and the women. People are impressionable, we learn
from movies. People may mock the female artists. They may argue that movies are
just movies and have nothing to do with perpetuating the objectification of
women. Nevertheless, the fact remains that film is a soft medium capable of
being very influential on people's opinions. This is evident in the high number
of crimes against women reported in India each year.
Many
studies have shown that media has negative effects on the mental health of
young women and girls. Women perceive that their physical beauty is a measure
of the amount of love and the power they should receive, putting tremendous
pressure on them to conform to conventional beauty standards. According to psychologists, women internalize people’s objectification of
their bodies, resulting in them constantly criticizing their own bodies. Girls
and women compulsively monitor their own body’s outward appearance. They become
overly concerned about how others may perceive their physical appearance.
Women
in many western cultures participate in their own objectification, often
without realizing it. This is the result of an increasing acceptance of the
pornification of mainstream media in a culture that largely embraces
materialism and objectification. Thus, many women actively consent to objectification
and overt attempts to gain male attention by purposefully and consciously
advertising their own object status. Girls and women who think they must wear revealing dresses to
look beautiful are victims of patriarchy. But, when women need to use their bodies to draw the
attention of the world, it is counterproductive to empowerment.
The
media normalizes the act of dominance and aggression against women by
constantly showcasing them as objects of pleasure. Boys and men tend to
internalize that message, and it influences their subconscious biases of how
they view women. They tend to legitimize violence, harassment, and anti-women
views and behaviors.
Boys, from a
very early age, are exposed to unrealistic, vulgar, hypersexualized images of
women everywhere. The roles, and behaviors of women in films, music videos and
commercials are too stereotypical and a far cry from equality. Along
with objectifying women, glorified male masculinity, male dominance in media
and mass media have deep impacts on shaping up a children’s mind.
If
a child is exposed to certain experiences as a part of his/her normal
developmental dynamics, they tend to normalize it and develop a lot of
unconscious biases towards that experience. These children would definitely
grow up to replicate those experiences in their lives as adults.
Boys
learn to dehumanize women and view them merely as bodies or body parts of
pleasures. It causes mental health issues among boys and their unrealistic
expectations from women. Women’s sexuality and body interfere with their
ability to have a healthy and functional relationship as adults.
·
https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2017/02/women-and-objectification/
·
https://shequal.com.au/get-real/sexualisation-objectification/
·
https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/not-object-sexualization-and-exploitation-women-and-girls/30366
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