Full Description
Perhaps, male-mindedness seems to have adapted to changing-contemporary circumstances to become more covert and conspiratorial. Sexist suggestions—through objectification and substantiated subordination—for instance, may have been explicit in Indian media a decade earlier. But in the contemporary times of online social media and vociferous feminism, such openness of unfairness against women in the media will, more often than not, be met with strife and unpalatable backlash - fearing which blatant prejudice is prudently steered clear of. It is, hence, understandable that patriarchy, to sustain itself as a culture, has adapted to become more benevolent in an increasingly hostile environment. To identify such sly and stealthy sexism embedded in media content, one may need a reconfigured grasp of contemporary feminist issues and an altered nuance for isolation and identification of discriminatory depictions. This book exposes redefined and hidden sexism that predominates the popular visual culture of India - particularly investigating mass and new media representations that are a prime part of and have a domineering effect on the ensemble of popular visual culture - and characterises contemporary feminist movements. It binds a collection of contemporary Indian case studies of sexism and feminism encompassing communication media such as print, cinema, television, Web series and social media. There is a lack of book titles that study media sexism in the present times, and the proposed book aims to explore an unexplored area that is of social and scholarly importance. This book highlights the duality of media platforms: while media is a critical tool associated with fourth-wave feminism, they still remain to be a deterrent to the development of women engendering inherent and age-old patriarchal notions. This book will be an eye-opener to the general readers about benevolent sexism and train them to identify sexism hidden in seemingly pro-women media representations.
Contents
Foreword Introduction Part 1: Evolving Sexism 1. Introduction to Part 1 2. New Wine in Old Bottles: Benevolent Sexism in the Indian Popular Visual Media 3. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing? Sexism in Fourth-Wave Feminism 4. Feminine Materiality and Masculine Narratives in Gaming 5. Androcentrism and Gender Stereotyping in Matrimonial Advertisements Part 2: Characterising Contemporary Feminist Cultures 6. Introduction to Part 2 7. Fourth-Wave Feminism: World View and the Indian Context 8. Gendered Memes: Stereotypical Representations to Agentic Counter-Conduct 9. New Dimensions in Relationships: Portrayal of the Culture through Cinema 10. Cinema for Change: Feminist Impressions in Heroine-Centric Plots Part 3: Indian Media and Sexism 11. Introduction to Part 3 12. Female Politicos in Indian Web Series: The Politics of Portrayal 13. Does Sexism Still Sell? Bigotry in Advertisements and its Effect on Body Image and Buying Behaviour 14. Sex Workers and Bollywood: A Study of Misrepresentations and Blurred Lines 15. Women and Emergent Agency in Hindi Partition Cinema 16. The Men and the Media 17. Conclusion
