Paper short abstract:

The understanding of ad-makers about feminism in India is threat to entire issue of women’s empowerment who unconsciously generate paradox of modern, liberated woman through visual and verbal politics that propagates mediated and sterilized understanding of feminism.

Paper long abstract:

Women play an important role in Indian advertisement market when it comes to selling ideas ranging from a washing powder to women's empowerment. These advertisements are usually televised in the midst of daily soaps mainly watched by women in India. As a result these women not only tend to gather meaning of their life and surroundings through such soaps but also from such commercials which occur repeatedly on TV screen. In such a situation, it is quite responsible business to publish ads with social issues quite seriously as they tend to becomes realities in popular imagination. In my paper, I want to look at recent ads of Airtel "Boss" and Vogue "My Choice" which in their attempt to celebrate "New/Modern/Liberated Woman" of today offer pseudo feminism. At the time of their launch these ads caused a great stir and debates among Indian feminists for the danger of constructed feminism overtake the actual feminism. I will explain how such commercials though quite unique in their approach of creating awareness about women's freedom paradoxically do injustice and contribute in further repression of same gender. These commercials brag about the advent of "new woman" for their primary aim of selling the product and in doing so they go on to formulate prejudiced beliefs of feminism that is elitist, egoist and self-indulgent rather than equality. The paper will bring both visual and verbal politics of these commercials in showcasing how they are a threat to women's empowerment in the real world.