Prerna and Tulsi – The Trope of the Ideal Woman

Most of us 90s kids grew up watching Kasauti Zindagi Ki and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki with the rest of the family. Our mothers would actively watch these TV serials and the character arc was simple enough for even our stunted brains to follow who the respective heroes and villains were.

There was a distinct feature which showed that the self-sacrificing dignified female lead of the show, with a subdued demeanour was the glorified figure, the protagonist to be sympathized with a.k.a. the heroine. On the other extreme was a woman donning deep neck blouses and sporting extra dark kohl in her eyes, who was clearly the person of ill-repute and not somebody worthy of emulating a.k.a. Komolikaaaaa. 

This was the idea that the 90s kids watched and absorbed. The idea of being a good person always came with tolerance, respect towards the other, subdued manner and no backtalk, despite whatever behaviour is meted out to you.

(Picture credit: Pixabay)

This is not to generalize, but mostly in Indian culture, the idea of virtue always comes stapled with a hint of self-sacrifice. Through virtual media, it was hammered in our brains that there is something virtuous about keeping oneself on the back seat and always accommodating others. That is not to say that some TV show is casting adverse influence on our social norms. It's quite the opposite actually: the TV show is in fact reflective of our social fabric – how we prefer the ideal, obedient version of a person because it is more palatable. It is much easier to have a toned down, subdued version of a victim than the one who will give you trouble.

Such a depiction becomes problematic when it becomes relatable. When such obedience and submission is flaunted with melodramatic music in the background, it's highly effective. It does its job well – of titillating our emotional strings, making us empathize with the fictional character and all the tragedies she's going through in life.

However, it is not a good sign if that character portrayal ever reminds you of someone you know in real life.

In my next post, I will be writing about the various ways in which this kind of self-sacrifice takes a toll on a person's physical and mental health.

Thanks for reading!