Here is a link to a video I want you all to see before you engage:
Here is what you need to do.
(i) Pick one sexist song you can think of (any industry, make sure its popular or attach its link otherwise)
(ii) Talk about what theme of sexism is that song re/producing.
(iii) What role do you think Media i.e. Informal Education plays in highlighting these issues or creating them (also tell me if this video enlightened you even a little).
Looking for some absolutely amazing comments and engagement. 3~2~1...GO!!
I have watched this video soo many times, and the one song that always came to mind was ‘jaadu teri nazar’ from Darr. The movie itself is a thriller, but in this particular song, shahrukh khan, the lead, sings, a) tu haan kar ya na kar tu hai meri Kiran b) khushboo tera badan In case a, we see him completely nullifying the idea of consent and because of the catchy tune of the song and how hit this movie was, everyone knows this line and is often used in a romantic sense for any woman named Kiran, but what its actually doing is really educating young men that all you need to do is fall in love with a woman and then it doesn’t matter if its reciprocated or not. Point b, Bollywood never fails to comment on the bodies of women in all their item songs and create a vision of the ‘perfect body’, which includes this ‘khushboo tera badan’. I feel like this not only gives rise to expectations men should have from women but also those that women have from themselves, and not in a positive way at all.
There's this old song "Pinky" from the movie Zanjeer (2013) and it is very overtly sexist. it starts off with "Paisa phenk tamasha dekh" and has lyrics like "pinky hai paise/dollar waalon ki' and a lot more problematic stuff which perpetuates traditional sexist notions such as women being dependent on men for their finances and upkeep. The video of the song is another problem altogether, it objectifies women and portrays them as sex symbols, this achieved by having the actress dress provocatively in revealing clothes amidst a large group. I've added a link to the video below. Media has a lot potential to highlight these issues but i feel as if it is primarily used to perpetuate them, I remember when i was younger and I unsupervised access to television and such songs used to be played repeatedly and were quite popular. The video by buzzfeed was enlightening in the sense that it sort made me realize how casually I have been consuming such songs without understanding their true meanings and implications and such songs are often extremely popular and prevalent .
While I was looking up such songs I found a very interesting video, it's a parody of a popular Bollywood song and calls out many unfair and sexist double standards that permeate the entertainment industry. I've linked that too, please take a look if you have the time. (Not endorsing Kangana Ranaut in any way, shape or form)
https://youtu.be/yAF9TnH_6-Q