Episode 4.15: Media Romance and Feminism, with Ragini Jha
Ragini Jha
“Being with the wrong person is so much lonelier than being alone. And if you enter that relationship because you needed to check that box... OK you’ve checked the box, now what?”
Did you ever dream about finding love like in the movies? What would that actually look like? In this episode, Tanushree and guest Ragini Jha (mental health counselor and podcaster for Open Minds) ponder how South Asian and Western media affects the way women operate and exist within romantic relationships. We discuss how media portrayal of romance can be often toxic and fantastical. In regards to heterosecual pairings we question how women's representation in media affects feminism, brainstorming ways for women to be equal stakeholders in their romantic relationships with men.
South Asian Movies/Shows with healthy or nuanced portrayals of relationships:
Kapoor and Sons
Queen
Ajeeb Dastans, specifically the episode "Ankahi"
Thappad
Ok Jaanu
Ragini can be found:
Instagram @cardamom.counselling
Website: www.cardamomcounselling.com
17% women ratio:
In the episode, Tanushree mentions a study that found 17% of women are found in lead roles in Hollywood movies and media. This number is a chronic statistical datum point across other fields where women are lacking in representation. A noteable quote from an NPR episode with Geena Davis, of the Institute on Gender in media states: “My theory is that since all anybody has seen, when they are growing up, is this big imbalance — that the movies that they've watched are about, let's say, 5 to 1, as far as female presence is concerned — that's what starts to look normal. And let's think about [it] — in different segments of society, 17 percent of cardiac surgeons are women; 17 percent of tenured professors are women. It just goes on and on. And isn't that strange that that's also the percentage of women in crowd scenes in movies? What if we're actually training people to see that ratio as normal so that when you're an adult, you don't notice?” Articles/podcasts referencing the 17% datum point can be found below:
The Reel Truth: Women Aren't Seen or Heard