Typical Serials' portrayal of CAREER women

I don't know if it's just me - but I can't help observing the stereotypical portrayal of the main protoganist in most of these serials. A home maker living in a joint family, trying her best to gel in with the family, her Maayka becoming secondary. Honestly that's so far from situations in many households today - especially the kinds they show in these serals..Give me a break.

Originally posted by: xyzzee

BUT I whole heartedly dislike the way they show this in serials - well educated girls changing into a Sari (Again, I love Saris but hey nothing wrong in showing them in more casual Salwars and the likes, why are they always decked up in a Sari rom the day after marriage for years together?)

Pallavi the problem is not the fact that they are wearing saris right - the problem is the sari is used to symbolize the model woman - traditional, cultured, homebody - the problem is that the symbolism is archaic - the creation of someone whose mind is stuck in the 1920s or 1930s. Women who wear skirts or pants or suits or salwars or dresses and have jobs are also all of those things.

My friend Kools once made fun of this same warped up symbolism. they showed Ashwin's foreign returned wife as wearing sleeveless and low cut sari blouses, costume jewellery, overdone makeup, flimsy nightown and negligees - symbolism she is ultra modern to the point of being accepting of promiscuity. this is nuts. visiting NRI women don't dress up trashy or s**tty and don't throw their progressive views around on others. In fact they may not even have carefree lifestyles but can even be very traditional and conservative. the create sterotypes with symbolism laden wardrobes. When Archu was divorced they made her dressed as an amma. Only after my friend Kools and other forum members kept taking their izzat aarti for doing this to a very pretty looking young girl did they change her look again

Originally posted by: Tanyaz

What ? Negative Engagement Strategy ?? 😲😲

This sounds soooooo weird but I can believe it ....🤢

All that was happening in PR at the time of divorce was definitely ...I used to get so frustrated that I wanted to see desperately when will someone point out to these people that normal humans don't act like this ...😡

xyzzee ...I am glad you opened this topic .I hope someone in the creative team looks at it .I was so happy when once they showed Archana actually getting excited that she was enjoying her work on the computers ...and then once she was going to adult night school and she hugged her mother because she was so happy about it ...👍🏼

Then all that went down the drains .....even though she was a supervisor she was more interested in the hero ..and now she is hardly showing any interest in working at all..

I am not saying that every woman has to work ....

I am myself a house wife out of choice but in the early days of my marriage I worked for a long time to help out at home ....

The way Manav was struggling and she was even offered a job , still she turned it down ... 👎🏼

Right now Manohar is in deep trouble as he has mortgaged his house and is in desperate need of 10 000 rupees .I bet you anything , it will be Manav who will come forward with the money and not his working daughter Varsha .....🤔

Originally posted by: --Hope--

Pallavi the problem is not the fact that they are wearing saris right - the problem is the sari is used to symbolize the model woman - traditional, cultured, homebody - the problem is that the symbolism is archaic - the creation of someone whose mind is stuck in the 1920s or 1930s. Women who wear skirts or pants or suits or salwars or dresses and have jobs are also all of those things.

Originally posted by: omshreejaanu

Very gud post n very correct.
It is indeed sad that these TV shows which r watched by so many ppl, instead of showing viewers how 2 face challenges in life, show regressive thoughts n patterns n only two extremes.
Taking PR as an example:
Archana got educated n started working post divorce but she was not really interested in working. She was only trying 2 move on in life n used the job as a means 2 occupy her thoughts n forget her love but immediately left everything 2 support her Manav. They got married, lived in a chawl dumped in extreme poverty but she wudn't work 2 contribute financially in her grahasti.
Message - b a gud wife, dont hurt ur husband's ego n khudaari by trying 2 bring money at home when he is struggling. Ur role as a wife is only 2 b there n give him a gud massage at night after he has slogged all day.
N as u stated Archu was shut up once she talked abt working.
Varsha too was seen working but shown more as an insensitive n too practical girl who wud go 2 the extent of aborting a child for her career.
Vaishu is educated, got married 2 rich guy n was told by him many a time 2 just shut up n b beautiful N now she is separated. Wat is she doing? Sitting at home, with her face bare of make up with her hair in a pony tail ( 2 portray the rejected n disappointing wife, one must stop being beautiful once separated from the jerk husband, right!) n a financial burden 2 her old parents instead of going in search of a work 2 support herself n her parents who r financially broken. Wat r the use of those certificates i wonder!😕
Strangely the only working woman in PR who is working 4 her family is the evil, manipulative, jealous n bad Manjusha
Agree also on the pathetic portrayal of women in saris - Modern n NRIs wear sexy, chiffon sarees with skimpy cholis, simple n sanskaaris wear cotton ones n divorcees wear gloomy ones with amma blouses n a bump on the head or a pony tail. But there is a proverb which says "L'habit ne fait pas le moine" ( dont judge ppl by their outfits)

Originally posted by: malinn

Very nice post xyzee......and very fitting replies too.....

Well, what you say is right.....however......

From the way I see it (and I am always game for correction)..... What serials show is simply a cinematic portrayal of an idea...... While they try very hard to be realistic....too much would be boring......

Eg.......In Karan Johar / Farha Khan's movies.....they show colleges to be so out of the world...... its an idea they are showing.....a happening place......so they take creative liberties......the viewer gets the idea while knowing that it is far away from the truth......

In the same ways.....the ideal Indian bahu is always depicted in a saree and singing a bhajan in front of the huge mandir and the family going WOW........It doesn't happen in real life......but we get the idea......and we kind of like it.....

The villain in always shown to be extra bad.......it spices up the bad deeds.....

Too much reality (like those shown in movies by say Smita Patil / Deepti Naval).....always has limited viewership....... people want reality.....but only so much...... otherwise it gets rejected by the viewer......100%......

Ever noticed, in Hindi movies.....till the boy is following / wooing the girl.....she will be dressed very modern in short clothes and smart etc......then, once they fall in love and commit, she tones down....... salwars etc......Transition into marriage is shown by wearing of sarees.......

Again, the majority of the audience / viewer is the housewife........so, they try to appease them and their visions of what seems right.......

Think......if you are directing a play in school / college......where you have to show 2 characters......say 2 friends.......one is modern and rich...... the other is poor....... how would you go about it??????

Chances are that you will put the modern rich girl in pants / skirts......surround her with similar friends.....show her going to parties......having fun etc....... And then you will show the poor girl as wearing suits and doing housework and helping her mother meet expenses by doing extra work....... so, whether you like it or not......you will create a stereotype.......

People are generally not comfortable or accepting of people out of these stereotypes......especially on the screen......If they show NRI's.....then there is the element of money plus modernity......so, they show them with sleeveless blouses and more make-up......It is not necessary that they depicted the character as loose (Ashwin's wife)......Infact, she was shown as having a very good and broad outlook as well......Can you show me any other way, you would depict an NRI?

I think, we must move away from the literal translations and try and understand what they are trying to actually show behind those outer layers.......

Archana is an AMMA by nature......she is stodgy and boring........meaning, she is the typical middle class Indian woman......who gets involved in her house once married.....The majority of Indian women are like this.....they stop wearing modern clothes after marriage (of their own will).....

Varsha is brash and impulsive and immature.......dressing has nothing to do with anything.......

Vaishu is beautiful but needs to grow up........believe me, any woman going through such a phase..... will be sans make-up and depressed..... she is not going to look to dressing up at such a time in her life.......

If you simply see the way in which Sulochana and Savita wear their saree.....you will see their character and class differences......its so well done......It is all symbolic......not meant to be taken literally......

Again, this is not a serial even trying to show equality or otherwise...... it began as a middle class Marathi housewife Sulochana wanting to find a rich husband for her unpadh daughter......Comparing it to serials such as Astitva is unfair.....Whereas PR is all about middle-class (chawl level) people....Even Satish / Girish are shown to be RICH.....but they are rich from the point of view of the characters from the chawl......Satish was WORKING at a Bank....he now has a "factory".....with what 15-20 people?????......he has a RICH marwadi partner......Girish....so rich....was actually a GARAGE owner....

Astitva was about a rich doctor......who married a man much younger than her......who goes away with another younger woman......there was a lot of stereotyping there too......Simaran always wore sarees (older / professional).....while Kiran was the young model......wearing mod clothes.....

Once we understand the premise and setting.....then we understand the treatment......

We have the other EKTA serials where women are shown to always be in silk sarees (which we may hesitate to wear at weddings).....and huge palatial homes......it is simply symbolic of wealth......she is not trying to say that thats how the super rich dress up......its only an image creation......

In that case, even Karan Johar shows NRI's in a way that is so not true.....

I personally think,........that we must ourselves not try and seek woman power from such serials..... just as I say women don't need to take any power from such celebrations as mother's day and woman's day....... The educated woman is self-empowered to know where she stands and where lies her destination.......