Wednesday, March 2, 2011

I don't want my daughter to be blown by these-Indian adverts

Star plus, on of the oldest and popular private television channel of India are celebrating women recently; and how, my bringing some reality shows which are yes off course motivated by shows from UK, USA or Australia and they have also brought an anthem specially for women. What a typical old concept of showing off that a woman can be a 'Dasi' or a 'Devi' or both according to the need raised but cannot be a human being. Her husband will keep sleeping in the morning and she will keep making breakfast for all members of the family, also along with caring all in the family she will connect with the animals of the household, with the neighbors, with the intruders and then she will get dressed and do a demanding job too, she has to bring money na - that is all women liberation about, after all it is allowing women to earn along with all the daily household/outside house chores she has been doing for so many generations. Rubbish! No it is not only my feminist thoughts, some others think the same.

 
Courtsey- you tube
And then yet another were company is feeding people their ready made instant mix powders through ten hands of a woman-devi durga! My mother always use to complain while preparing us for school every morning, three of us at different age and stage of throwing tantrums, that Ma Durga herself took 10 hands to do her jobs and became a symbol of woman but then send us to the earth with  only two hands and same amount of work almost. And above all the tag line of selling this product  is sowing a guilt feeling in a woman's mind that you are using ready made instant mix after all so don't cringe that you have to cook three varieties of breakfast with two kinds of accompaniments!

                                                                   Courtsey- you tube  
Seeing these advertisements, I can not stop thinking that in no matter how conservatively Indian media keep showing its women, but things are changing at ground level in positive direction even if in tiny scratches, but they are changing.
 
Then there are huge lot of advertisements made to tickle the sentiments of children and their parents in the name of proper growth, proper intelligence, proper balance and so on. India is a country but becoming only a market unfortunately and the children (most targeted indirect customers) are getting doses of these emotional blackmails, repeatedly, day after day.
No wonder 'J' instead of finishing her food on the plate, one day insisted us to buy Complan/Bournvita/Horlicks to so that she can grow fast and without eating all those 'strange' vegetables.



Courtsey- you tube 
 Also  she told us if we buy clinic plus or Garnier-oil+shampoo for her then her hairs will be all silky and satiny, no matter if she does not  comb them or cleanse them!

And I solemnly keep looking that how my daughter, the innocent, the genuine and the original one is falling into traps,  and instead of hard work and proper food habits, she is looking for some super fast formula.
 Courtsey- you tube  
I have been critical about Mc Donalds Advert while living abroad but no I don't remember if there were so many advertisements to deal with, or may be 'J' was not a keen observer till then and kids channels were mostly free of adverts in Germany or UK (Government policy).
But on returning to India it is like a jolt how the advertisements are celebrating on the human emotions of jealousy and competitiveness and selling the concept of instant successes. 

Just then I found little rays of hope, some adverts are being sensitive like this one while selling their products.
Courtsey- you tube  
Or this one, although the ad ends with a notion of preparing for winning but the consideration of a mother that she can deal, if her child looses sometimes is an encouraging note.
Courtsey- you tube 
I am trying my best to instill in 'J' the value of 'need' and not 'want', the value of  slow and steady wins the race and not super fast formula, the  value of happiness and not richness - in this hullabaloo of product/brand advertisements in Indian Television channels.
No, I am not thinking of disconnecting the TV channels as today I can protect her but tomorrow not. She need to learn to choose from her choices, be happy with what she gets after doing her best.

It was good to find yet another mother and another mother (discussion over Orkut) are also dealing with Great Indian Ads! 

4 comments:

  1. I blogged about the Star Plus video too! I hope somebody from the channel sees all these posts and takes it off the air!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These ads are seriously outrageous.

    @GB You would be surprised to see the number of women who think these ads and the Star Plus Anthem are 'progressive' - for women who are not allowed any say in what is cooked at home (typically in Joint Families, they must do what the elders dictate) these ads are like a dream life :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Seen seagram imp blue, sx4, ceat tyres, tata sky etc ads ? Liked em ? Ever wondered what common – all corny typecast men as creepy, lazy, bumbling, irresponsible, maniac etc. If the commercial makes u ‘WoW’ or ‘Yuck’, its served the purpose…

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Study hard and floss every night, honey—and for heaven's sake, get laid!" That's essentially what we're saying by allowing them to dress the way they do while they're still living under our own roofs.

    ReplyDelete