Ad a pinch of reality!
Woman’s image in advertising is changing from the hitherto glamorous side-prop to a more realistic and assertive persona keeping in tandem with contemporary sensibilities, writes RANJITA BISWAS
Do you remember, if you are of an older generation, the Twiggy fashion raging across the world’s ramps in the 60s with stick-thin models becoming the template for aspiring models and fashionistas? And in India, images of the woman ecstatic with an efficient home appliance or the brightness the clothes achieved after using a particular brand of soap-suds? Not to forget the good old sariclad lady serving ghar ka khana to keep the family happy and satisfied?
Cut to the much-appreciated Lloyd washing machine ad making waves presently where the wife asks for a ‘unisex’ model – eyes twinkling and flummoxing the husband and the salesman for a moment – to drive home the message that household chores are not the domain of women alone. If advertisement reflects the contemporary society, then this change perhaps finds resonance, though cited in a different context-the muchquoted Virginia Slims cigarette ad of 1968, “You've come a long way, Baby”.
Changing image worldwide
Abroad too, prominent fashion houses like Christian Dior and Saint Laurent have decided to ban ultra-thin models from their advertising and catwalk shows to get more realistic. Even stock photos show a changing image of glamorous women. Sheryl Sandberg ‘Lean In’ writer and COO of Facebook, has launched LeanIn. Org to establish a change in images of girls and women used in advertising. It has also teamed up with Getty Images, one of the world’s leading creators and distributors of still images and footage, to form a photo library called the ‘Lean In Collection’ that features powerful images of women, girls and families.
Talking gender neutrally
Slowly but visibly, the image of women in ads is changing in India too. They are talking a different language, stepping out of the usual fashion plates or domesticated milieu. “Advertisement has shifted from gender biased to gender neutral world. In fact, it would not be incorrect to say that ads have shifted to a gender fluid world. Ad firms are taking into account points of view of the younger generation of consumers who are digital natives and for whom the gap between male and female roles are converging and stereotypes just won’t work anymore,” says Sharmistha Jha, head of department of mass communication and videography at St Xaviers College, Kolkata. She gives examples of brands like Zara and Guess which are concentrating more on products meant to appeal to any consumer, regardless of gender. “Ad gurus today have realised that the consumer behaviour of the generation today is more of a function of their personality rather than their gender,” Jha adds.
Mira Kakkar, ex-director, Thoughtshop Communications, Kolkata, observes that though admittedly the traditional sariclad woman is still shown as the homemaker and care-giver, “A lot has changed in the past 10 years.” Among campaigns that are ‘kind’ to women, she cites the Titan Raga ‘mother by choice’ ad with a young woman making her point and also complimenting her mother for doing PhD at the age 45. “But the real winner was the 2013 Tanishq Wedding film which showed a dark-skinned mother of a five-year-old girl, getting married for a second time (to a fair guy!) at a simple wedding ceremony and the guy accepting the little girl,” she says.
Evolving role models
Role models need time to change, true, but almost unobtrusively attempts are being made to look at the modern woman beyond the hearth. As Buroshiva Dasgupta, professor at School of Liberal Arts, Karnavati University, Gujarat, observes, “Like everything else, advertising too has to evolve to survive change. And it has been doing so quite well, keeping up with the changing norms of the society. Society has become more bold and outspoken – and so have the ads.” He cites some of the Raymonds ‘complete man’ campaigns where the husband understands the priority of his working wife and opts to be with the baby, or knows ‘when to give way’. Though the campaign is for men apparels, the gender sensitively quotient is skillfully woven into it.
Reflecting maturity
Dasgupta feels today Indian advertising industry is mature enough to compete anywhere in the world. “Their performance in Cannes is no mean achievement. It has long outgrown the phase of ‘copy ads’ from their Western counterparts and are indigenously creative, reflecting the real Indian society and its changing norms,” he says.
That includes the image of the Indian woman, whether confidently working in the corporate world or making a statement about her own stand. Many of the government’s social service campaigns today use sportswomen, achievers, even film stars, consciously to drive home the message. The other plus point is that these ads often show that Indian women are no longer ‘dependent creatures’ and the efforts of stereotyping them is fast disappearing from the ad world.
Miles to go...
Kakkar, however, sounds a note of caution, saying, “At present Indian advertising swings from the traditional to the progressive. In its zeal to be progressive, many a times it gets ridiculously sexual. That whole Maaza campaign, showing Katrina Kaif almost reaching a climax, is so absurd! ‘Aamsutra’ indeed!”
Advertising has huge responsibility in not objectifying women. “Indian advertising has a key role too to play in de-stereotyping the Indian woman,” she says, adding, “If advertising has to be relevant, it has to be real and politically correct. Of course, we’ve come a long way... but we still have a long way to go, Baby!”