Images of women in Indian television commercials: A critical study

This is a critical study which examines how femininity and womanhood are constructed in Indian television commercials. In my inquiry, I have primarily focused on how symbols are used in depicting women in Indian television advertisements. Additionally, I have looked at the role of the ideological messages in the construction of "subjects" among the female viewers. My study is primarily informed by the critical perspectives of Louis Althusser, Roland Barthes, John Berger, Jacques Lacan and Laura Mulvey. The sample of this study consists of 343 commercials, which I recorded at different time slots from the state-operated Indian (Doordarshan) television network's main channel during December 18 through December 24, 1995. Out of the total sample of 343 commercials, only 96 commercials, which featured a female character, were analyzed. The duplicate commercials were excluded from analysis. The data of this investigation replicate previous findings: Indian women are still stereotypically portrayed as a homebound wife, a mother or as a sexual commodity. By deconstructing the symbols in the text, I have demonstrated how Indian advertisers perpetuate patriarchal ideology and myth that undermine the progress of Indian women. I have also shown how in a majority of these television advertisements the camera simulates the "masculine" gaze and constructs the female beauty models as sexual commodities for the voyeuristic pleasure of the viewers. This investigation extends previous research by going beyond descriptive analysis which was characteristic of most past research efforts. In this inquiry, I have endeavored to look at the underlying themes, semiotic systems and visual and verbal cues of the messages. It is my view that a critical reading of the commercials provides an insightful and useful understanding of the ways in which women's depiction in television advertisements is linked to women's status in society.