The Television Commercial Spots for Officer's Choice Blue seems contemporary remake of the hackneyed Hero rescues Heroine plot. The films supposedly urge only men (not women) to Raise their Voice against atrocities committed against women while women conveniently tolerate them without showing any offense forget putting up a fight.
Nothing can get more regressive than showing two emancipated
women, one a corporate woman and other a suave modern woman becoming victims to
violence and harassment just to make a male, a hero. These two women could have
Raised Their Voice and easily taken control of the situation especially in the
setting they have shown to be; a restaurant & an office, both have enough
public to support them in case they want one. Out of the huge crowd
setting, why only a single male is shown to resist the atrocities, why a female
isn’t shown with the same poise?
Can such an ad proclaim that it is made to reduce atrocities
against women when it explicitly encourages the same?
If fairness creams could be attacked under the pretext of
encouraging racial discrimination, such films should be condemned for promoting
gender discrimination. As they portray women as weak creatures who are
dependent on others (in this case, males) and attribute strength and power to the male
dominion.
Without delving into the discussions on whether these films
will be able to position the brand within its Target Audience, I would like to
conclude with one message that as long as women are made to depend upon only
external factors like system, police, officers, men to protect their
sovereignty without Raising their own Voice, the atrocities against them are
going to amplify without having a choice.
