Thread:

The writer's block is going strong so this isn't my best work but here are some of my thoughts on misogyny in Bollywood music

“The role of women in Indian cinema is a reflection of a women’s role in society from a man’s viewpoint and this often leads to the objectification of women and poor treatment of women. Glorification of hypermasculinity and violence influence this kind of culture” H Nooristani

There are a few misogynistic aspects of Bollywood songs that stick out the most – eve teasing, stalking, derogatory lyrics, showcasing alpha males, and trophy heroines. Songs like Munni Badnam Hui, Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai, Fevicol Se, Brown Rang, etc. Bollywood has played a

critical role in imprinting large misogynistic influences on the youth. Objectification of women calling them “Cheez”, “Chicken fry”, “Tandoori Chicken”, “Coca Cola Tu”, and “Bijlee” in its songs; there is misogyny in most Bollywood movies. Item numbers are an important key to

box office success and hence this act of demeaning women is multiplied. Here are the 5 misogynistic aspects of Bollywood songs:

Glorification of eve teasing - Bollywood morality shows that it is okay to eve tease someone whom you intend to marry and it’s all supposed to be part of the wooing process. What the heroine thinks it totally irrelevant. Another problem is that the hero also physically

touches the heroine in inappropriate places during the 'wooing process' and she's just supposed to get angry and storm off instead of reporting him.

Stalking is okay – A boy meets a girl and soon he is shown embarking on his mission of boy gets the girl by hook or by crook methods, trespassing all acceptable norms of decency

Derogatory lyrics – Songs such as Tu Mere Agal Bagal, Tu Cheez Bari Hai Mast Mast, Gandi Baat, etc

Showcasing the alpha male opposite the heroine - the hero has to be an alpha male and he has to strut around wooing the heroine. He has to woo the heroine and keep her away from harm and she just can’t take care of herself.

Trophy heroine for blockbusters - Most of the blockbusters are made keeping the hero in mind and the heroine is just a fill in the blanks kind of thing and anyone can be taken. The heroine just has to look good with the hero. Like we have the concept of the “trophy wife”, you

could say that Bollywood has mastered the art of the “trophy heroine”.