By definition the media literally is a medium to transfer information. By concept, the media should be a reflection of society. However the media nowadays has emerged as a vital component in shaping society and altering it. Its role has immensely shifted over the years from its claim to show what the public wants into actually controlling what they want. Various fragments of the media, entertainment and advertising in particular, have been feeding off the public’s insecurities and complexes to such an extent that they are perplexed between what they need, what they want and what they have. The public depends on the media to differentiate between right and wrong, to govern their lives and their motives and it is this dependency that further fuels the media as a brain washing facility.
Peeking into the music industry which is just another branch of our entertainment media, women are portrayed as objects to gawk at, with a very clear emphasis on how ‘perfect’ their body is and how fair they are because that is the 'criteria of beauty'. As if Pakistani girls weren’t already harassed since the last many decades, if they, God forbid, were anything less than the gori bahu mothers were seeking for their sons, the media too has become an active participant in making their lives miserable. You will hardly hear a Punjabi song for instance without the word goriye because that is of course the sole reason a man could fall for her and consider her as worthy. Even models/actresses who own a dark complexion in reality are made to look fair through camera techniques and make up in television serials and music videos so they can be the exemplary beauty because who would fall in love with a saanwli saloni girl, she has to cover up her “flaw” in some way to appear attractive to the public. Apart from this highly debatable issue about gori and saanwli which has subjugated Pakistani mentality thanks to the media, women are exhibited as properties of men. Even where there is no dire need of a woman to be present in a music video, you will seldom not see one who is simply dancing to the beat, half naked, no connection whatsoever with the lyrics or concept of the video. It’s as if talent in the industry relies on vulgarity. Unnecessary item songs in films and glimpses of a sexy model in music videos where the presence of women is solely, as an eye-candy all point to one direction; disrespecting women has become the norm in Pakistani media and is in fact no longer viewed as something worth condemning.
Moreover a woman is often portrayed as a weak being who has no interest in achieving something worthwhile and that her only purpose is to please men or to suffer and exercise patience as shown in most dramas, while any woman who stands up for herself or has the guts to rise above men is mostly depicted as a villainous character who meets her doom at the end. Subservient women are the protagonists while dominating or self-made women are often characterised as the antagonists of society as a result of these labels structured by the media. Moreover a woman is always trying to conspire against other women, be it a mother-in-law plotting against her daughter-in-law or sister-in laws conspiring against one another to put the other down while a man is mostly shown victim to their treachery who eventually, sick and tired of all the enmity amongst women decides to often bring another woman into their lives! Like it or not the truth about our drama industry is that it is irrevocably dependent on stories about miserable, tragic women who have nothing better to do in life than trying to win her husband’s heart or his family’s in which case she is the saint-like dream girl or she is the conspiring wicked witch of the story who plots and plans against other women.
Misuse and misrepresentation of women is not just confined to the entertainment industry though, with news channels catching up in their own mannerism and through their own limited platforms. Rather than focusing on news presentation and quality, there apparently is a greater concern by channels on the appearance of their news casters. No matter the kind of news (tragic or entertaining), female news casters seem ready to walk the ramp or attend a wedding, portrayed by not just their dazzling apparel but also their vibrant make up and conspicuous hairstyles, all “suited” for the occasion of telling people how many lives were lost in a blast or how many homes were destroyed by heavy rains. Furthermore the way in which news about prominent women circulates in the media, too is disrespectful and reeks of male chauvinism. Two recent instances being that about Reham Khan the ex-wife of political figure Imran Khan and Ayesha Gullalai who was a former Imran Khan supporter. Reham Khan was discussed in a prestigious manner as long as she was associated with Mr Khan and soon after her divorce was labelled as a characterless woman whose entire family background and past “mistakes” were highlighted throughout television screens and social media, with no emphasis whatsoever on Imran Khan’s past life or any question regarding his credibility. Ayesha Gullalai who turned against Mr Khan was not only harassed but her family, her sister, every person alive who was in some way connected to her was humiliated through the media. If this isn’t a clear cut reflection that male chauvinism till this day persists in our society and that women are still the undisputed minority in terms of respect, I don’t know what is.
The award winners though in this entire race of painting a misleading picture of the ideal woman are the advertisers. The advertising industry has been igniting the fire of complexes amongst women of all ages that in order to gain confidence, to get accepted within society and to be labelled beautiful they must get fairer to the extent that they shine brighter than the moon itself. With these mercury infused creams and treatments being advertised in the most exploitative manner possible, there might very well be a time that variation of color no longer exists and all we have are albinos with tendency for skin cancer.
It is for us to gravely think about what we are being exposed to, how valuable the content is, how ethically and morally correct it is, and how destructive it can be for our brains. Is this what we really want to see or is it what the media makes us believes that we want to see?