Women and their honour in Media

Every time I see one of those irritating men's deodorant ads, I get so bugged. Where are all the people who protest for protecting integrity of women. In fact, we need people to fight for integrity of men. It is so ridiculous to see men using all products just to impress women, starting with deodorants, shaving blades even vests and under wear! This really is a great insult for men and women alike. Let us now just concentrate on saving the honour of women.

After the terrible rape incident in Delhi, people all over the country protested in many different ways against such brutality and injustice. Even after all that, there is at least one news item everyday about a rape in some part of the country - age of women ranging from 2 - 60, which is a shame on everyone. Reading such news, makes one lose faith in justice. This on one side, it is really sad to see women insulted in different media because of how they are projected.

Who will protest against the way women are portrayed in cinema and other forms of media? Top comedians and heroes will join hands together to insult women for their looks and other aspects of being a woman in the name of comedy and we viewers enjoy the pathetic satirical comedy by laughing aloud in theaters.This has in fact created a trend in most movies where comedy sequences are made to tease and comment on women.

Women are mostly used for just glamor in most of the movies. We are proud to watch only hero-centric movies and any heroine subject is rejected outright by the audience. We have so many movies with a rape scene and we watch it pitying the girl on screen, never protesting! We like to see the glam-doll heroines clad in minimal dress and enjoy not just the on screen romance but love to hear the real life gossips also. Where is the honour?

Coming to the advertisements, bowchickawowwow seems to be the mantra for insulting women. Women have work apart from going behind random waiter or other men for the deodorant they use. Why can't we do something to ban such advertisements? It's disgusting to see such ads on TV. Cheer girls in sports is yet another insult in the face of manhood. Who will save the honour here?

We talk so much about equality of men and women only in theory. Where is the practical application? Why can't we do something about protecting the integrity of women instead of trying to equalize things, which is not the solution. Men are men and women are women, why can't this fact be respected and hence do something realistic apart from just protesting for one incident in the country.

Atrocities involving women happen everyday everywhere, sometimes right in front of our eyes. What do we do about that? We still have men sneering at women driving on roads. Insulting and abusing women on roads even in an educated society. We still have wife-beating prevalent in so many households. Female infanticide, dowri related violence, child abuse, trafficking of girls etc., happens even today at this very moment in some part of the country. What do we do about that? How many men deep down their heart still feel that women are just meant to be glam-dolls (other than the ones in their family) or puppets in their hands (those within their family).

Women's day is not about availing offers in shopping or just talk about women who have achieved something. What about the other 99% who are still helpless? Mother's day is not about sharing videos and posters in Facebook. Think about girls who are made mothers by some beasts in the society. How about some real compassion and love for them?

Real empowerment is not just allowing women to wear whatever they want. It is not about allowing women inside a pub and allowing them to have a drink at midnight. It is not even about joining a movement on Facebook to take a vow to protect women. It is about changing the attitude deep down the hearts of many men and women as well. Least we can do, is stop the media projecting women in such a cheap manner - just to woo men or act silly. It is really disheartening to see such portrayal in movies which hit the box-office with big stars.

This is not an easy job for us. It involves lot of perseverance and honesty. Are we upto the challenge is the real question.