ROLE OF WOMEN IN PAKISTANI MEDIA TODAY

We are flooded daily, with information about what’s hot and what’s not, what’s the trend these days, the latest fashions, the new cosmetics, the new malls, housing schemes opening in new towns, new locations, update on tourism all by advertising. The reason why media has greatly grown its influence and has become a major source of awareness and information amongst the general public is because of it advertising. Media is all about advertising. Whether it’s selling a pair of shoes or the best shampoo to selling an Aston Martin Vanquish or a Porsche GT2 media will advertise it. How? With women in their ads, media uses women to sell products, although more men are seen to dominate the Brand Ambassador’s post than women, yet these men in the advertisements show up with many conventionally attractive women.

So what is the media’s portrayal of women today? Women are portrayed with high sexuality, displaying half naked bodies openly exposed on magazine covers to sell cosmetics or a fragrance. Women have always been measured against the cultural ideals of beauty but nowadays media uses sexism to make ideal beauty. The over exposure of women around the world in advertizing is definitely a question of concern, but the matter is left untouched mostly.

This stereotypical image of women that the media portrays is wrong. Women should be given respect in society and not be used for marketing purposes in this respect; the whole idea behind selling a product revolves around a woman. Unless a woman is there a product can’t boost up its sales, this has become a norm for every growing firm. There is no question on the advertisement agencies that make business marketing strategies to increase their sales, but the way they project women as sexual saleable commodities is definitely a matter of concern and needs to be addressed.

There is an urgent need for the access and increase the participation of women in the decision making positions so that they attain the balance in gender role making. Stereotyping needs to be eradicated from the society, the more stereotyped a society becomes the more it tangles it’s self into unavoidable problems and is more inclined towards inequality and gender bias.