Stereotypes: Fight for gender equality

The association between women and beauty is centuries old. At every point in history, the most beautiful girls have been described as the ones who have decorated themselves with the most astounding forms of clothing and accessories. Over time, “beauty” has almost become synonymous with the image of women wearing the finest of clothes, the most expensive forms of jewelry and the most lavish perfumes and cosmetics.

However, in the present day and age, this image of women is not only been frowned upon, but there have been demands for breaking this stereotype all together.

Shiwamta Katwal says, “We do not want that image of women anymore. It makes all females around the world look like they are fragile and simply care for looks only. It’s a shame that this is all still prevalent in 2022.”

Prashanta Dixit, says, “The main problem is the message such pictures send to the public. In general, if we ask a person to picture a husband or father, they get an image of a man returning home from work. But when it comes to picturing a mother or wife, they usually do so of a woman working at home, especially in the kitchen.”

Just like Dixit says, most women seem to share the same thoughts when it comes to stereotypical portrayals in the media. Such images imply that women are incapable and unwilling to take on what are traditionally called “men’s jobs”. Stereotyping women when it comes to appearance and ability is bad in itself. To make matters worse, it is also a new form of sexism, or at the very least, promotes it even further.

Ria Khan says, “There is almost no good with any form of stereotypes. But the problem with gender-based stereotypes is that it makes the younger members of society think that the myths or exaggerations are actually true. If we want to try and promote equality in a society, the stereotypes must be removed first. Otherwise each generation will think the same for each gender and the cycle will continue virtually forever.”

However, progress is being made. Not just women, but men, too, have learnt and understood that such stereotyping is an obstruction in the progress for gender equity. At the same time, they seem to have understood themselves that the stereotypes that come with being men are equally bad.

Abhinav Kadel, an 18-year-old, says, “Stereotypes can really bother an individual. For instance, I never really liked action movies and would be teased for it by my peers, which made me think something was wrong with me. So, when young girls see that females are depicted a certain way, it may make them think of such depictions as ‘right’ and doing anything different is ‘wrong’. This is something everyone, regardless of gender and age, needs to understand; that stereotypes don’t just affect social perceptions but even the psychology of each individual.”