If we browse through the archives of advertising in India we will clearly see the depiction of women and the societal mindset. Be it highlighting the importance of her fair skin or showing her as an ideal housewife feeling happy with the selection of the right pressure cooker. Be it films or television or advertising- all are mirrors of our real-life patterns of thinking about women.
Labels although have been synonymous with both men and women, however, they have largely been associated with the latter. The label of her being the perfect wife, mother, daughter or perfect entrepreneur, job titles, etc. Here she is also considered super ideal for balancing her personal and professional life.
Then comes the series of opinions about her- “she should choose this profession“, “I feel she should get married to this person”, “why don’t you take up classes on cooking and weight management before getting married to look and feel better”, “in my opinion, you must change to be more successful”, etc, etc, etc. Opinions and opinions and more opinions.
In my own personal experience of spending several years in my professional as well as in my personal sphere, I have come across this strong labeling for women. And I realized that the only one who can put a stop to this is a woman herself. But not through words but through action and setting examples. I may not have bothered about labels initially but over a period of time, I realized that sub-conscious acceptance to such labels pulled me down. I somewhere felt caught up in the set of unwanted expectations from society thus reducing my progress towards my goals. The day I realized this there was no looking back.
So today I look at myself as a human being born as a woman with unique qualities and traits which can never be compared with others. This makes me feel truly special and like a free bird. As if I am flying high without any tags associated with me and no opinion hampering my journey towards my goals. Trust me this isn’t easy because we live in a high volume world with too much noise around us but it is time we take charge of the remote control to suit us.
Coming back to advertising we are gradually seeing this change even in ads of detergent or cosmetics- be it a group of women lifting a mud stuck vehicle or a daughter convincing her father to pursue her goals prior to getting married.
This women’s day let us make a beginning to de-label ourselves and emerge as a unique identity separated from all opinions.
Featured image: source