Misogyny and Representation of Women in Bollywood

Introduction

There seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to defining misogyny. Misogyny is defined to be prejudice against women. However, research shows that misogyny isn’t all about gendered prejudice, instead, it is the bias against a particular type of woman for a particular reason. Reasons being based off of actions which are not in line with the standards of how a misogynist believe one woman should behave like.

In the realm of Bollywood, misogynistic representation is shown through numerous music videos, lyrics, costumes and other visual and auditory contents. Thus, such representation leading to belittling of women and promoting misogyny.

Role of Indian Cinema

Hindi cinema plays different roles for different people. Some take it as the greatest and the most appreciated channel of entertainment, whereas for others it is just a medium that broadcasts moving pictures. There are also those who think that it is a medium that reflects the true mood and the changing reality of the society that produces it. While cinema reflects ideology and ethos of a society at a point in time, it also represents social and historical practice regarding gender approach. There are different ways to accentuate this reflection, which vary from costumes to music to objects of luxury. However, the most important medium of this reflection is the characters. The mindset, thinking, apprehensions or the prejudices of the characters reflect those of the modern society.

Since Bollywood has been a major point of reference for Indian culture and society, not only has it shaped and influenced the society but it has also expressed the changing circumstances and contours of India’s cultural and societal sentiments to such an extent that no other preceding art form could ever achieve. Thus, it sways people's recognition of their own ideals and societal norms.

Bollywood Over the Years

Early Years

During the Golden Era of the Indian film industry, women in Bollywood were based on Manichean dualism, where women were presented as one-dimensional characters: good or bad. These two categories were also known as “The Vamp” and the “Damsel in Distress.” Damsels in Distress depicted as heroines but had very little to do in the actual plot. Their main purpose was to be the romantic foil for the heroes, which the hero would save in the end to show his bravery and manhood. Damsels in Distress were always the moral women; they were expected to be docile, shy and dependent women since these were the virtues of a cultured Indian woman. Moreover, represented “proper” female roles in Indian culture, believed their husbands to be the “Godly” they respected their elders, they were quiet and kind, and they were fiercely loyal to tradition. Vamps on the other hand, served an equally valued purpose in the plot. They were women of questionable character set up to seduce and momentarily take the hero’s mind off of the prize and inevitable victory. Vamps would either perform on item songs and/or be hired to arouse romantic interests for the villains. While these stereotypes clearly do not represent the individuality of women in real life, the “Item Girl” and item songs began many years ago and this trend has continued to objectify women. Consequently, The Damsels in Distress, reflecting on the notion that women can be traditional, respectful, strong and supportive, have set standards and expectations within the society, for how each woman should be like. Thus, leading to a prevalence of female stereotypes and gender inequality.

Portrayal of Bollywood women from Past to Present

Present Day

Roles of women, however, began changing drastically since the 90s. They became more substantial, which began happening simultaneously with the changing roles of women in the Indian Society. Since women were getting liberated and independent, they were receiving better education and employment opportunities, which started reflecting in Indian cinema. Recent films like, Mardaani and Mary Kom depict women as strong, fierce, moral, and determined, having fascinating stories to tell the world. Additionally, depict that women have no reason to be idle and helpless while a hero goes around beating up bad guys single-handedly. But this is not the case for all present day productions. Other modern films still treat women like objects and trophies for the heroes. In movies, for instance Grand Masti, women wear short and revealing clothes mainly to get attention from men. Such portrayal then ends up influencing the society and their judgment when women wear shorts and skirts, without the intention of seeking men’s attention.

Bollywood promoting Misogyny

The following are a few of the many ways Bollywood movies have been promoting misogyny:

Clothing/Costumes

Costumes intend to distinguish between character roles; daughter from the mother, mother from the Vamp, the Vamp from the Damsel in Distress and so on. Costumes reflect on the signification, intention, sexuality and morality of the character. Costumes have been playing a major role in the objectification of women. It not only permits the viewers to indulge in women dressed either in sexual or beautiful outfits, but also sets standards of how a wife, daughter or sister should dress like as well as quantifies how Bollywood treats its female characters. A study found that 1/3rd of women characters in films released between 2010 and 2013 were scantily dressed.

The picture not only depicts the clothing of an "Item Girl" but also portrays that women in Bollywood are mostly meant to capture male gaze.

Item Songs

Bollywood movies have had this trend since ages of incorporating an “item song”, which showcases a woman dancing to music in skimpy clothing. With skimpy clothes, lascivious camera angles in which these songs are shot, vulgar lyrics and explicit sexual movements add up to not only attract male gaze but to objectify and sexualize the body of women. These songs have no direct connection with the film, it only intends to attract audience and sometimes plays a major role in making a film hit. The most upsetting aspect of these “item songs” is that the objectification of women is led by our very own women who are degrading the feminine spirit. By agreeing to be labeled as “item girls”, they indirectly portray women as mere objects of sexual desire and not as intellectual individuals.

Character Roles

In addition to what was mentioned above, character roles given to women often portray them as dumb and mindless. Women are rarely portrayed as individuals with intellect, ideas and thoughts. They are mostly given roles that depict their purpose of showing the main actor in a better light. In films, dialogues such as, “jaa choodiyan pehen ke beth jaa” (go wear bangles and sit down), end up implying that women are incapable and useless. Thus, resonating the idea that women are intellectually and socially inferior to men. However, Bollywood has produced some women-centric movies, such as Fashion or Heroine, which have featured women as the protagonist, discussing topics around social issues and sexual abuse. Nonetheless, such movies tend to run a common theme of women being prone to failure and fall prey to social evils when they earn success in life. In short, they portray women as weak characters who tend to get ruined if accompanied by success. Furthermore, women in these films are often portrayed as victims of abuse who need assistance from men to fight such situations. Thus, in these so-called ‘women-centric’ films, women are not free from gender stereotypes.

Conclusion

As a result, Bollywood plays a huge role in referencing and shaping the way society portrays women. Their role and representation within media has been one of the many persistent concerns due to negative stereotyping and lack of female input, which reflects and reinforce wider gender inequalities. Bollywood fails to consider that India, being one large country, constitutes of women who differ substantially in terms of their backgrounds, religion, caste, ambitions, desires and roles, and yet easily homogenizes the gender by giving them one voice. It not only reflects the changing circumstances but also shapes and influences the society in terms of societal norms and gender-typed roles. Thus, research on gender and cinema has emphasized the question about women’s identity and representation.