About Stereotyping

The Cambridge dictionary defines stereotyping as having a "set idea about what a particular type of person is like." The idea may be positive or negative. It may be based on race, religion, region, gender, or skin colour. Some common examples could be that women are bad drivers, good-looking people are dumb, students from Hindi medium schools cannot speak fluent English and men wearing pink shirts are gay. In these examples, stereotyping is evident. With gradually changing gender roles and increased use of social media, negative stereotypes like these are usually criticized, especially on public platforms. But in this article, I discuss positive stereotypes, which are equally damaging.

About the Advertisement

Prega News, in its standard marketing move close to Women's Day, has launched a new ad. It features four women dressed in different attires, meeting each other in a waiting room. Here is the clip.

About Positive Stereotyping 

At the outset, the ad is very positive. It shows if a woman decides, she can handle multiple roles very efficiently. She can be a beautiful woman, a loving mother, and a daring police officer - all at the same time. The spirit of this woman is applauded. Incredible, isn't it?

No! Despite the positivity, it is cliché, and challenging. The characters are terribly stereotypical. Here is why.

In the clip, the women who question motherhood are dressed in pants, while the woman who embraces motherhood is dressed in a cotton saree. The former women are rude, and irritated, while the latter is cheerful, and polite. The former do not offer help even when the child's milk bottle falls on the ground while another mother wearing a plain salwar kameez walks in, and provides support.

The ad portrays a perfect woman managing all the roles. She is fit; her saree looks fabulous, hair looks great. She smiles at everyone and answers all the questions calmly. In yet another attempt, the ad glorifies women's power and diverts attention from the real issue - the need for families, workplaces and societies that accept, support, and promote working mothers. As mothers are declared larger than life heroes, the pressure is entirely on the women rather than the systems. No doubt, women are powerful. They are also beautiful and kind. But so are the men, and so is everyone. When we call women super powerful, everyone around them starts taking it easy. 

I feel we need to stop glorifying moms and ease their pressure. We need to normalize messy moms and responsible fathers. We need to create families that let women be guilt-free. We need to demand workplaces that provide adequate maternity leaves, feeding breaks, creche facilities, child care benefits and a culture devoid of discrimination. Finally, we need to build a society where women can choose motherhood or maybe not.

To begin with, we need to stop stereotyping - negative or positive. 

Acknowledgement: This article is motivated by a discussion with some extremely smart and talented mothers in Jaipur Moms Tribe - a wonderful support group in Jaipur (https://www.instagram.com/jaipurmomtribe/?hl=en).

A slightly modified version of this blog is published here: https://www.momspresso.com/parenting/684f238cd2794e31b9caebff76477121/article/stop-calling-moms-superheroes-nvtxqcagmdm9