Beauty, after all, is only skin deep!

Self-esteem Issues

While ‘portrayal’ of women in the Media remains stereotypical and continues to be an issue of grave concern, women exposed to the deluge of ‘look good’ advertisements in the medium find themselves in a psychological trauma of wanting that perfect curvaceous body, that silky smooth, blemish-free skin, that fair and glowing look et al.  

“Cinema adds to the demand of the perfect body image which is already seen as the ultimate goal for women in the Indian cultural society. It motivates them to turn towards western-wear, body-hugging clothes and hence focus only on the physical appearance,” Dr Jyoti Kapoor, consultant psychiatrist, Paras Hospital, Gurgaon tells Metrolife.

The harassment and discrimination of women in India does not end here. It continues with women employees within media houses, corporates, government and private institutions, even the judiciary where women, despite their competency, not only face the challenge of being treated lesser than their male colleagues, but also have to compromise with disparity in pay packages and incentives.

 There is also the ever-looming fear of losing the contract-based jobs. This, in spite of the fact that there is some legal protection against hiring and firing. In the name of competition and increasing profits, often unreasonable demands are made from the women employees.

These are grave issues that prevail in the community through means of mass reach such as objectification and commodification of women through cinema, advertisements and soap operas, among many other forms. Such productions not only exhibit a woman or her body in a certain way to men, but also draw attention from women as they inculcate that ‘perfectness’ as a benchmark for themselves.

Take for example a men’s deodorant ad on the television that will definitely feature a woman model. Yes! this can be reasoned out because it’s a female who is targeted to love that fragrance. But what about the advertisement of razor blades where a woman is placed only to slide her fingers over his cheeks for a mere two minute or a wrist watch sale ad where a woman stands wrapped in yellow plastic tape having sale written on it? Ever wondered what a woman is doing there? True, these advertisements often go off-air, but only after the damage has been done.

“The constant wanting of beauty and body perfectness is a result of social pressure which demands women to develop an artificial status, often leading women to develop ‘body-image disorder’. Due to this, they find themselves in a state to go through surgeries, crash dieting etc. and still not feel satisfied. More than the body, it affects the mind, leading to stress,” Dr Sameer Malhotra, director, Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Max Hospital, Saket, tells Metrolife.

Ironically, the urge to be perfect does not prevail in one woman only but is common to all women out there and, as behavioural health experts say ‘is spreading like an epidemic of self esteem’. 

This epidemic demands from women to get dressed and glam-up in a certain way before stepping out of the house.

Women’s organisations in India have always worked to resolve gender issues such as rapes, harassment, abuse, violence against women, dowry et al but there is a certain negligence when it comes to tackling representation of women in the media and what it does to women at home. Yes, there are protests against usage of unparliamentary and abusive language against women, but it rarely affects a homemaker who aspires to be like the ‘perfect one’ on television, say experts.

“This disorder leads to eating disturbance, anxious and obsessed behaviour, lack of confidence and mood swings,” says Dr Kapoor.

But one needn’t lose heart. “In order to get out of this problem one needs to immediately identify the cause of the concern and then try to find a realistic view towards it. Listing out ways of what makes you perfect as a human being is one sure way to boosting one’s self-esteem”, adds Dr Kapoor