Entertainment Industry: Showing the Real Woman
Long gone are the days when women were used as props in movies. Yes, they are still many movies that are afraid to discard this foolproof formula. But with changing audience’s mindset storytellers are willing to take the risk, and have started providing us with women who we could look up to. These women needn’t be the central characters to inspire us – they could be the kickass sidekick, the sweet best friend or the know-it-all mentor. They are relatable and their dilemmas our own. They manipulate and fight but at the same time support and sacrifice. Rather than showing women as wives and mothers and sisters we are shown what motivates a woman to keep going forward. We all hate Cersei Lannister(GoT), but we know that she is doing all this to protect her children. And Andrea (The Devil Wears Prada), who changed so that she can fit her job better. Then there is Hermoine that showed us that intelligence is necessary and so is bravery and loyalty. These women have layers upon layers as opposed the one-dimensional characters of the past. They are good, and they are bad – fiery but pragmatic. They make you laugh with them, sometimes at them and then make you realize it’s okay to shed tears for a guy but not good to keep your life on hold for one. We all supported “Rani” when she went on her honeymoon alone and got inspired from Mother India. Geet(Jab we met) taught us to love ourselves and Shreya (TVF Pitchers) made us realize that we can support our boyfriend and be independent at the same time. And who can forget the genius of Donna (Suits) or the sarcastic Felicity (Arrow)? They inspire us not because they are perfect but because these women have same faults, same flaws as us. Not only this, the entertainment industry no longer shows that women hate each other. Rather, they give us serious friendship goals. Female -Female relationships are no longer like those shown in Mean Girls. Rachael and Monica, Christina and Meredith, the girl gang of Pretty Little Liars or that of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – they all have wanted us to find that one girl with whom we can laugh about our mistakes, cry about our breakups, bitch about our life and talk about our dreams and aspirations. Well, who needs a boyfriend when you can have a best friend? These shows tell us women can be anything and everything. They can rule the world or be CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies while being a mother and a wife at the same time. Single moms, Career women, Female Fatale, are ruling the entertainment industry making us realize that feminism is not just a movement but a revolution. These characters may not be what every woman want to be, but we all find little pieces of ourselves within them. They are just an exaggerated way of showing the woes of every girl – the difficult career decisions, the heartbreaks, and that stupid crush we can’t forget or sometimes those days when all we want to do is curl up and binge-watch a TV series. Films and TV are a medium that shapes people thoughts and thus by allowing women to be real and relatable makes it easy for all of us to gain support and power to fight our own problems and teach us to embrace who we are and what we can be. ———— ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This article is written by Pragya Dhir, our intern.
