Women Represented in Tamil TV Ads: An Analytical Study on Gender Norms, Stereotypes, and Power Concepts

Abstract This study will deeply separate female portrayal in Tamil TV commercials by uncovering how the depiction of gender and the use of stereotypes not only toe the line of the existing power structures but also affirm the same through female representation in TV ads. Content analysis of TV ads is done for 100 Tamil popular channels, which includes both quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis. The results showed that women are consistently depicted in stereotypical and objectified roles, thus, silently but actively, patriarchal norms are supported and power imbalances get reinforced. The recurring ideas and common patterns of female representation that emerge from the analyzed data are the issues of home, beauty, and submission with women presented mainly as passive, decorative, and sexualized figures in commercials. Moreover, these representations depending on the gender of a person, cast, class, and age are the main intersectional features identified in the study. This study deeply opens the door for understanding attitudes change by media representations. The findings of this research take very seriously the message to media practitioners, policymakers, and feminist activists: call for the implementation of more nuanced and diverse representations of women in Tamil media.