Dabur forced to drop its same-sex Karwa Chauth campaign shows deep-rooted sexism in Indian TV advertising

The message embedded in Indian TV ads is simple — a woman can be either a dutiful mother/wife, in her early 20s trying to look the prettiest, or a hypersexualised nymphomaniac. 2021 may be nearing the end but we still stand firmly rooted where we were all these years ago when Usha sold its sewing machines asking you to “train” your daughter to be “an ideal housewife” or when Bournvita told women “Pati ki khushi aapki khushi hai.” Centuries of patriarchy and misogyny packaged neatly in palatable chunks and served day after day with tea and dinner through newspapers and TV, and no one bats an eyelash. Be it “Jo biwi se kare pyaar wo Prestige se kaise kare inkaar?” or Tide’s “ Mrs ko boliye brush lagane ko ” or Imperial Blue’s “ Men will be men ” or Head & Shoulders telling you to not use your wife’s shampoo or else you will stop being a man, sexism in advertising is a tale as old as time. Mishra found the ad “objectionable,” and said he considered this “a serious matter.” What about when Ford released a cartoon showing three voluptuous and skimpily-clad women bound and gagged in Figo’s boot to highlight the hatchback’s extra storage space? We call the deeply problematic portrayal of it all “Aamsutra.” A study by UNICEF and Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media released in April this year found that Indian ads reinforce “harmful gender roles that shape the lives of girls and women in the country.” The report, titled ‘Gender Bias & Inclusion in Advertising in India,’ analysed gender representation in 1,000 most-viewed TV and YouTube Talking about it, Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning actor, and the GDI’s founder, told The Hindu, “Misrepresentation and harmful stereotypes of women in advertising have a significant impact on women — and young girls — and how they view themselves and their value to society.