Picture these advertisements common in Indian media today -
Ad 1 - A woman who wants to get fairer skin because she wants to attract that one man she likes
Ad 2 - Women are concerned about their skin colour, rashes or sun burns in hot weather
Ad 3 - A woman is busy thinking what she will cook tonight
Ad 4 - A woman is liberated, reason being a sanitary napkin which keeps her free from the trouble of the "Undino ke problems" (problems of those difficult days)
Ad 5 - A woman gets tired of meeting all the requirements of her family - husband, kids, in-laws - at the end suffers from a head/back ache. Finally, she gets some attention and then is provided with a massage or medicine.

Media decides the context in which a woman should be placed, and reinforces it constantly.

Media tries to establish a woman's feminine side, especially if she is a successful woman. It seems the Indian media loves to see women first as successful home-makers. The ideal picture is the femme fatale, the supermom, the sex kitten, the nasty corporate climber. Television, film and popular magazines are full of images of women and girls who are typically white, desperately thin, and made up to the hilt.

It is not that the portrayal has not changed with time at all. Earlier women either added the glam quotient of an ad or were busy looking good. Today, at least they are shown working in some ads. And today, even men are shown using creams and face wash to get that fair skin. However, when men do it, it is because they want to look macho. When women use such creams, it is because they want to attract men or to be accepted in the society which looks down upon dark women.

Although the media wants to project the modern, liberated woman, it is actually endorsing women as consumers. Not only is this derogatory to the image of women, it is also linked with their real concerns. They have better things to do than to look good and think about what the dinner menu will be. In fact many women today do not cook at all.

Have you ever noticed that interviews of men in newspapers hardly ever mention their marital status or their dress sense? The focus is on their work. However, the moment it's a woman, all such details are provided. What she likes to do apart from work, does she do all the household chores, etc.

While the women in Bollywood may no longer be portrayed as self-sacrificing door-mats, they still have to look sizzling hot most of the times. Although men have also started doing item numbers, the number is still less.

Media probably ignored the fact that the last few decades have seen tremendous changes in the lifestyles of men and women in India, all thanks to globalization, market economics and above all, fast strides in technology. Media, itself has also undergone a sea of change.

Another image of women in India that has grown in the recent years is the portrayal of the woman as a showpiece or an icon of glamour. We hardly come across an advertisement these days where we don't see a pretty model beaming at us, be it the advertisement of a new model car or that of a cold drink.

Thus, it won't be wrong to say that the portrayal of women in the Indian media oscillates between these two extremes: the "mother India" and the "glamour girl."

What the media ignores to see and project is the image of woman as a serious partner in decision-making, a serious contender as a professional: doctor, engineer, teacher or a computer specialist, a serious politician or leader. India today has a lot of successful women who have other roles as well and are not just home makers or pretty empty-headed bimbos. What is worse is the fact that this portrayal comes when the media industry is said to be dominated by women.

Sad huh!

Team MSN She