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Unveiling Male 'Red Flags' and Toxic Masculinity in Pakistani Media

For decades, Pakistani dramas have been incorporating the traits associated with toxic masculinity (i.e. aggressiveness, misogyny, obstinacy, ego, and a need to control the weaker sex, etc.) to fashion their male characters. In general, toxic masculinity refers to an unspoken set of social norms that males should and shouldn't follow. The sad part is that instead of speaking against such problematic behaviours, the media perpetuates the notion of 'toxic masculinity' and instead glorifies it to such an extent that the story is portrayed as a 'romance' or a 'love story'.


A red flag meme that had been viral on Instagram

According to an article I read earlier on the internet today, a girl named Nemrah Ahmed Niazi offered a critique of the entertainment industry's obsession with basing their stories on toxic male leads and remaining oblivious to the consequences. She made note of how these toxic male leads, also known as 'red flags', give women a warped idea of love, thus implying that a woman is viewed only through the 'male gaze'.


So, the next question for us to explore is: how are such toxic males represented in our media? The first element that goes into this 'making' of a red flag male is the clothing and wardrobe assigned to the lead character. In the case of the man belonging to an urban-class elite family, this comprises expensive Western attire; however, in the case of the man belonging to an upper-class feudal family, shalwar kameez/ waistcoats are used. The priciest watches, huge cars, and a mehal-like bungalow often accompany this. Usually, the camera shows are vertical-panning in order to give the audience an insight into the opulence and magnificence of his lifestyle. Along with that, the music track and dialogues used in the drama also justify such problematic behaviour of the toxic male leads by disguising it under the notion of 'love' and 'romance'.


The biggest symptom of 'red flag' behaviour is a complete disregard for the woman's consent, which, in turn, generates a flawed idea of love under which the male lead forces him into the life of the woman. Opposed to the notion of love as 'unconditional' and as a force that liberates someone, such toxic love stories implicitly send the message that love is something that has to be forced onto someone. Love is UNCONDITIONAL, and CANNOT be forced at all! It provides one with the agency to choose and gives a sense of emancipation. However, the following clip from 'Ishq Hai' shows the male lead (Danish Taimoor) holding a gun against his head to force the woman (Minal Khan) to marry him after he kidnapped her from her wedding. Despite Minal's attempts to resist, he blackmails her, makes up a suicide attempt and says: "Mein tumhein kisi aur ka nahin honay doon ga" and "jab tak keh tum hamesha kay liyay meri nahi hojati, tab tak tum yahan say kahin nahin jaa rahi ho". This shows the man's lack of respect for the woman's decision (ironically, who he claims to 'love') and his stubbornness about marrying her despite acquiring her consent, hence creating a false notion of 'love' and a 'toxic' love story.


Toxic masculinity is often manifested in the form of physical, verbal, sexual or even emotional abuse. Sadly, instead of condemning it, the Pakistani media is okaying it, and therefore, it would not be wrong to say that the media is a central medium that perpetuates this kind of abuse. Consequently, individuals in our society, especially those unaware of such issues, such as those belonging to the lower class, are internalizing this as completely normal.


This clip is taken from the drama 'Khaas' that was aired on Hum TV in 2019. It shows Saba (Sanam Baloch) going to her husband, Ammar's office since her job application has been accepted. She waits to tell her husband about it and calls it a 'surprise', but contrary to her expectations, Ammar is furious when he finds out that not only has his wife secured a job in his office but also that she would be paid more than him and would be equal in rank to him. This relates to the idea of 'toxic masculinity' discussed above as such male leads are shown as having inflated egos and as dismissive towards the accomplishments of women, especially their own wives.


In addition, this video clip is from the drama 'Kankar' aired on Hum TV in 2013. It shows the woman (Sanam Baloch) being brutally beaten by her husband (Fahad Mustafa) when she throws away the ring that had been gifted to her by her husband in response to his refusal to abide by the promise made to her parents to visit their home. Not only is the male lead shown as insensitive to his wife, but he is also shown as indifferent to his yet-to-be-born child's health since the physical abuse causes the woman to lose her baby. Interestingly, her husband commits this heinous crime only because his wife had told him to "change his attitude"; in response, he not only throws her onto the ground mercilessly but also warns her: "dobara meray saamnay zubaan chalanay ki koi zaroorat nahi hai". Another interesting aspect encapsulated in the clip is that while the wife (female) is supposed to go to her in-laws' house after marriage and treat them well, there are no such expectations from the husband (male). Even in our society during the present times, girls are taught from an early age that they need to respect their elders and learn basic manners and etiquette since they need to go to their in-laws one day who will criticize the parents of the girl-child if they find a fault in her. However, no one tells the male child from a young age to learn basic courtesies and treat the opposite gender well since he will also have to marry one day. In this clip, Fahad is shown saying: "koi interest nahi hai mujhay tumhari behn mein, tumharay khaandan mein ya tumharay ghar walon mein...meray paas aur bhi behtar kaam hain karnay kay liyay". This statement supports the argument I have just made - while girls are taught from a young age to respect their elders and are specifically trained to please and serve their in-laws, no such training or messages are imparted to the boys. As a consequence, girls are taught to be passive and subservient, while boys are taught to be dominant, 'manly' or 'masculine', which means that they have unwarranted authority to do all that they want. This distinct gender binary eventually results in 'red flags' and toxic masculinity in men as portrayed on our TV screens.


According to the article I mentioned previously in this post, Pakistan is the sixth most dangerous country for women with respect to domestic violence, abuse, and rape. To quote directly from it, "More than 28% of women from the ages of 15-49 have suffered from physical violence at the hands of a partner" (2017-18, Pakistani Demographic and Health Survey). PEMRA needs to take account of this and stop its portrayal of 'red flags' or male leads involved in behaviours of 'toxic masculinity'. Not only will this change the condition of our women, but as a result, a better and prosperous Pakistan can emerge.

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16 comentarios


24020174
01 dic 2023

This post is very important considering how such dramas are created so frequently and without any repercussions for the actors and producers. I feel like these dramas continues to validate the toxic behavior of Pakistani men. It is so sad to hear people say when watching such dramas that "mard aise hi hote hain" or "aurat kou hi sabar karna parta hai." The fact that most men in our society are red flags, promoting this behaviour on national television only makes it worse.

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25020191
01 dic 2023
Contestando a

That's very true! It's just a never-ending cycle between the society and the media. You are completely right in pointing out that the audience has internalized these media messages to such an extent that they deem such unacceptable behaviour of men as 'normal' behaviour. Several psychological and sociological theories are also founded on this principle that whatever we consume on the media becomes an integral part of ourselves and our personalities, i.e. we try to 'imitate' that behaviour. And yes, it is also necessary to consider the fact that a lot of men in our society are actually 'red flags', which also explains why the media portrays it, i.e. in accordance with the 'Reflective Approach to Media and Representation' as…

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This post is a necessary post and show be considered a necessity for Pakistani media and dissecting pakistani dramas, I wish this was accessible by tv channels so they could see how toxic behaviour and red flags interplay and no matter how much they deviate from each other it is a constant loop where one perpetuates the other. One questionable example is of "tere bin" where the female lead is first slapped by the male and then she faints and the male lead is the one who takes her to the hospital. No one questions why she is in the hospital and what happened just because the guy brought her there, he is seen as the saviour and the hero…

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25020191
01 dic 2023
Contestando a

You've brought up some fascinating points, Zoha! Thank you for bringing these up. Yes, I agree with you: even if, in most cases, it is the man who commits an act of violence against the woman, no one dares to question or challenge him. I think this is where the gender binary comes into play, which is also employed in cases of physical or sexual abuse against women, as in most of them, we see patterns where the female victim of abuse is 'blamed' for things (that often have nothing to do with her, e.g. the way she dressed up might have "triggered" or "provoked" her) while the male perpetrator is 'defended' on some grounds that might often seem absurd…

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Mahnoor Nasir
Mahnoor Nasir
30 nov 2023

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article, and having watched the majority of the mentioned drama serials, I completely agree that creators bear significant responsibility for the narratives they craft. However, I believe our entertainment industry faces its most significant deficiency in the domain of writing. Over the years, our scripts have notably declined in quality, highlighting a crucial area where improvement is imperative. Acquiring writers with a progressive mindset could undoubtedly contribute to enhancing the narratives we showcase.

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25020191
01 dic 2023
Contestando a

I completely agree with you, Mahnoor. Our scripts have relatively declined over time, which can also be exemplified by the examples of top-notch and well-scripted dramas produced in the past, such as 'Dhoop Kinare', 'Tanhaiyan', 'Ainak Wala Jin', etc. However, this can be contrasted with the dramas that are produced now, which are mostly built on a plot that involves either two men chasing a woman or two women chasing a man. This needs to change!

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I loved reading this article. I used to be an avid consumer of Pakistani TV dramas a few years ago but after a point all I was able to see in these dramas were such problematic storylines that I stopped. What I find the most frustrating is how, eventually towards the last episode the woman goes back to her husband even if he had cheated on her or been physically or mentally abusive. The most concerning thing in my opinion is how people defend such drama portrayals, with all their might and find the behavior completely appropriate. Some even idealize it as I have heard women talk about how they would want men in their lives similar to the characters…

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25020191
01 dic 2023
Contestando a

That is precisely my point! There's a dire need to stop the glorification of male 'red flags' in Pakistani media. I think it's time that instead of relying on media production, we take steps to raise a voice against this problematic behaviour of males. I also see this as hypocrisy on the part of PEMRA to ban romantic scenes in media while remaining silent over the representations of violent behaviours enacted by men onscreen. As far as your last point is concerned, in my opinion, the Pakistani audience is not media-literate enough to discern between the different kinds of media messages and be able to negotiate the entire process; therefore, there is no reason to contend that "these problematic dramas…

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Thank you for sharing this. I definitely agree with you. Pakistani dramas have to stop showing these toxic masculine men and glorify and romanticize them. I believe it is just too much now, where every other drama shows toxic masculine men and glorifies their behavior. Every other drama Feroze Khan does, such as Khaani (a mega hit drama), shows his toxic masculine behavior where he falls in love with a woman whose brother he kills and stalks her all the time, but people liked it a lot. So, my question to you is that Pakistani audiences like these types of dramas, and mostly all dramas that show men as toxic or red flags are super hits. If dramas like these…

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25020191
01 dic 2023
Contestando a

That's a good point, Naimol. However, I have a different take on this question: we all know that the Pakistani audience mostly comprises an illiterate population, they are 'passive' audiences who will unquestionably accept whatever the media will show them, so they don't really have a choice. Therefore, I feel that in a country like Pakistan where half of the population isn't media-literate, there should be no reason to worry about the TRP ratings since people usually consume the media for entertainment and will literally watch anything on their TVs that helps them do that. For this reason, I strongly feel that PEMRA should make an effort to ban such dramas that are fixated on toxic/red-flag males as this is…

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