Gender Stereotypes and Sexual Objectification in Item Songs of Bangladeshi Films
Abstract
Films in the subcontinent traditionally contain songs for entertainment and bringing about a change befitting the story and its characters. A different type of songs, namely item songs, that are irrelevant to the story have become rather common and popular elements, especially in Indian Hindi films. Bangladeshi mainstream films, nowadays, are becoming dependent on item songs with striking performance, costumes, music, and lyrics. These item songs are generally women-centred and used for the commercial success of films. This study explores the gender stereotypes portrayed in item songs of mainstream Bangladeshi films. The study analysed top-viewed Bangladeshi item song videos shared on YouTube applying the theory of critical discourse analysis (CDA) and objectification. Audio-visual data are used for textual analysis of these item songs. The findings reveal that female roles are represented to be submissive, male-dependent, weak, alluring, tricksome, and the object of media desire rather than men. The results also suggest that female artists in item songs are more sexually objectified and more likely to demonstrate sexually alluring behaviour than males.
Downloads
References
Alo, A. (2016). আইটেম সং বিতর্ক ছড়াচ্ছে. Ananda Alo (Monthly cine magazine), Dhaka Retrieved on July 2019, from https://www.ananda-alo.com/আইটেম-সং-বিতর্ক-ছড়াচ্ছে
Bartky, S. L. (1990). Femininity and domination: Studies in the phenomenology of oppression. Routledge, New York.
Basu, D. (2016). Club and Courtyard: Study on the Intersection of Bollywood Item Numbers and ‘Hijra’ Dance Tradition. Arts and Social Sciences Journal, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.4172/2151-6200.1000225
Bhandari, I. K. (2018). Commodification of Women Body in Indian Media. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR). 5(3). Retrieved on May 2019
Calogero, R. M. (2012). Objectification Theory, Self-Objectification, and Body Image. In T. F. Cash (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance (Vol. 2, pp. 574–580). Academic Press.
Dijk, T. A. (1993). Principles of critical discourse analysis. DISCOURSE & SOCIETY, vol. 4(2), 249–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926593004002006
Dwivedi, S. (2017). Sexual Objectification of Females in Bollywood Rap and Item Songs. International Journal of Humanities & Social Science Studies (IJHSSS), III(VI), 399–400.
El-Falaky, M. S. (2015). The Representation of Women in Street Songs. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 6 (No. 5). https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.5p.1
Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and power. New York: Longman.
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Longman, USA.
Habib, A. (2017). Patriarchy and Prejudice: Indian Women and Their Cinematic Representation. International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.18178/IJLLL.2017.3.3.113
Infante, J. M. (2016). Ideology through Musical Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis on Three of the Most Controversial Rock/Metal Songs during the 1980s. Dissertation. Retrieved June 2019, from http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/18919
Islam, Z. N. (2013).The Film Scholar Lotte Hoek, The Daily Star, Dhaka Retrieved June 14, 2019, from https://www.thedailystar.net/news/lotte-hoek
Jain, P., Roy, E., Garud, N., & Mazid, I. (2019). Sexuality and substance abuse portrayals in item songs in Bollywood movies. South Asian Popular Culture, 17(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/14746689.2019.1585605
Kapoor, K. (2018). Representation of Female Characters through Item Songs in Selected Hindi Movies. International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.29332/ijssh.v2n1.70
Mahmood, I. (2013). Influence and Importance of Cinema on the Lifestyle of Educated Youth: A study on University Students of Bangladesh. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 17( 6), 77–80.
McKinley, N. M., & Hyde, J. S. (1996). The Objectified Body Consciousness Scale: Development and Validation. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 20(2), 181–215. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1996.tb00467.x
Mogashoa, T. (2014). Understanding Critical Discourse Analysis in Qualitative Research. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), 1(7), 104–113. Retrieved April 2019
Nussbaum, M. C. (1995). Objectification. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 24(4), 249–291.
Raza, N. (2015). Deconstructing Gender Roles in Bollywood Films: Through Women’s Empowerment Development Discourse Content Analysis of Popular Bollywood Films. Retrieved June 2019, from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/43032138.pdf
Roberts, B. L.-A. (1997). Objectification Theory: Toward Understanding Women's Lived Experiences and Mental Health Risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173–206. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108.x
Sahu, G. K. (2015). Use and Abuse of Female Body in Popular Hindi Films: A Semiotic analysis of Item Songs. International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities, III(X), 14–25.
Susmita, F. (2015). The Question of “Female Gaze'': Will It Ever Be Possible to Have One?. Crossings, A journal of English studies. 6, 148–157.
Szymanski, D. M, Moffitt, L. B., & Carr, E. R. (2011). Sexual Objectification of Women: Advances to Theory and Research. Sage Journals: The Counseling Psychologist, 39(1), 6–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000010378402
Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (2009). Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. London and New York. Longman.
