Creative critique from a gender lens: 7-11 March

Dr AL Sharada, director, Population First, reviews a selection of ads from last week

Mar 17, 2022 03:23:00 AM | Article | Dr AL Sharada

What worked

Gender is a social construct that determines the desired, appropriate qualities, attributes and behaviours for men and women. It defines their roles assigning productive roles to men and reproductive roles to women. They also have differential access to resources and entitlements.

The gender stereotypes based on these social constructs need to be challenged as they are discriminatory and lead to undervaluing of the women. The ad captures the stereotypes very well, be it the emphasis on looks, dressing or modesty for girls, or not giving credit to a woman for building up a start-up company. The ad resonates with many women and is sure to make men also conscious of the harmful stereotypes.

The ad shows the girls and women as confident and self-assured rather than meek victims of discrimination.

Gender Sensitivity Score (GSS): 5/5

Lemme Be

The ad is path-breaking for the following reasons:

It shows menstrual blood as red, not blue ink.
It shows women who are as diverse as they come
It talks about the cramps, the staining, the bleeding and the mood swings as natural, thus normalising it and highlighting the choice of the women to deal with it the way they wish.
Time we talk about menstruation without embarrassment.

GSS: 5/5

Project Nanhi Kali

Nanhi Kali has been highlighting many issues related to girl child education through its communication over the years.

The ad very powerfully depicts the burden of household chores and caring functions on the girl child in some Indian families by narrating the story through the voice of a buffalo who is made to work throughout the day with no respite. The comparison of the two Lajjos brings out how girls in India are overburdened with work and denied the basic right to education. The super emphasises that education is not just a human right but for some it is also a means to feel human, highlighting the importance of education in a child's life.

GSS: 5/5

What did not work

Slice