Madhukar Sabnavis: The feminine factor

Sal Sandazzo in his book The Myth Makers says there are only two women archetypes. "The mother", who represents the values of warmth, nurturing, comfort, and security, and is manifested in the maid, the teacher, the innkeeper, the gardener, the cook, the home maker, and the nurse; And "the maiden", who is beautiful, alluring, enchanting, and mesmerising. And she is manifested in the nymph, the maiden, the movie starlet, the femme fatale, the mermaid, and the siren.

Interestingly, as you look at popular culture and literature, this gets constantly represented and reinforced. Consider the two girl characters of the famous Archie comics.

Betty Cooper is the quintessential mother""true wife material, the girl next door, the do-gooder""the girl with a golden heart, man's best friend, always there when needed, sacrificing, the one-boy girl. Veronica Lodge, on the other hand, is the rich, insensitive, spoilt brat, everyman's girl friend, yet enchanting and alluring, magnet for boys, the right "other woman" material""making her the quintessential maiden.

In every Hindi film where there are two girls, consciously or unconsciously, the makers end up giving the two girls these two archetypal characteristics. Whether it is Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, or Aaina, or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, or the more recent Mujhse Dosti Karoge, or Ishq Vishq""the two women always shadow these archetypes.

However, over the years the depiction of the "maiden" has got more acceptable from the typical "vamp" of the 1950s and 1960s. Yet the "mother", rather than the "maiden", always gets the boy""a reflection of the fact that society deep down still respects the "mother values" of the woman more openly, and the "maiden values" are left only for vicarious enjoyment!

Digging deeper there are perhaps six distinct roles of a woman in life and the best advertising tends to connect with one or more of these roles:

The maid, the keeper of the house;

The mother, the provider to the family;

The manager, the power that makes things happen within the home;

The mediator, the custodian of the relationships within the family;

The mate, the partner to her husband;

Me, myself and I, the "ego" within the woman.

It is interesting to look at some of the landmark "woman" advertisements over the last two decades to see how portrayals have changed.

The mother archetype dominated the 1980s: It was typified by Dalda, Vicks Vaporub and Maggi""women who were the archetypal providers, doing things to constantly provide solutions to family and watching from the sidelines members enjoying the fruits of their labour.

Surf's Lalitaji seemed to stick out as a sore thumb with her "aggressive posture" in a world where the woman was largely depicted as "caring, loving and giving". Yet deep down, Lalitaji still tapped into the "maid" role of the woman""a family woman.

It was at the turn of the 1990s that the "individual"""the me, myself, and I""dimension of the woman came to the fore. Suddenly a woman's desire to come out of the confines of her house, to look and feel good, and set herself free, found voice in a number of brands.

Many of the landmark "woman" commercials of this period tackled this fairly interestingly. Garden Varelli's "You fascinate me" tapped into male admiration, Lakme's "You are always a woman to me" tapped into narcissism, Pond's' Dream flower talc's "Interview" commercial actually tapped into many a woman's hidden dream of achieving something.

Taaza tea actually broke away from conventional food advertising showing family enjoyment and magnified the woman's private moment during her mid-morning tea cup to make a point of it being "amazingly refreshing". And Cadbury Dairy Milk unshackled the brand and the woman with the now famous "jig of the 90s" in its "Cricket" commercial.

Santoor soap, in fact, did this even more cleverly keeping the trappings of a family with "child and all" and yet appealing to her fantasy of staying forever young and beautiful. Suddenly the maid of the 1980s was out almost indulging herself and quite enjoying it.

The 1990s remained the decade of "individualism" but took a new shape with the arrival of "Ariel". It very cleverly appealed to the "individuality" of the women with the famous "mother-in-law/daughter-in-law" campaign.

The brand was the d-i-l's way of asserting herself in her new family""albeit quietly""which not surprisingly had many takers. Ariel in fact pushed the frontiers even further later by having the husband do the "cleaning chore"""clearly appealing to the "role reversal" fantasy of the "maid" in every woman.

The 1990s ended with the emergence of the Pepsodent mother, in tone and manner very similar to Lalitaji of the 1980s, but now asserting herself and her wisdom for the family's benefit and thus moving from being a "backroom, conservative mother" to a more "purposeful, knowledgeable mother".

If the 1980s was about the family woman, the maid and the 1990s about individuality, the me, myself and I, the last five years have seen advertising bring the woman back to hearth and the family. The most defining woman of the 2000s remains the Whirlpool mother.

The woman has moved from being the housekeeper to home maker. And it is about being a problem solver for the family""always having the solution""whether it is handling the husband's boss' need or clearing up a mess.

In fact, the first "Ice Ice Baby Baby" commercial actually recognised the emerging role of the woman as being a perfect hostess""a far cry from being the best cook! Brands have also begun to appeal to the role of the mate""the woman being a partner to her husband. Samsung's "Tumse hai zindagi" and Alto's "Let's go" campaign tap into the romanticism between couples.

What could be emerging new themes for tomorrow?

The return of femininity: With the woman having asserted herself through the 1990s, there may be an opportunity of showing the return of chivalry. And depicting the woman as being comfortable with her femininity and enjoying the fact that she is treated like one.

From a supportive role to an active influential role: With the woman coming into the forefront, there is an opportunity to make her the emotional anchor for her near and dear ones""a distinct move from her physical provider role in the 1980s. And she could take on the role of greater control and become the conscience keeper of her family.

From a home maker to an atmosphere creator: This could be the next definition of the woman's role at home""creating the right environment for her husband and children so that they can lead their lives the way they want and realise their potential and their dreams to the fullest.

Beyond home and work: This could recognise her movement into new domains so far treated as predominantly male, e.g. automobiles and finance. And with technology moving from efficiency to experience, speed giving way to aesthetics, woman and technology could be a theme for the future. And the contexts need to go beyond work situations.

Something worth watching out for. Something worth thinking about.