How Bollywood Has Distorted Our Ideas of Sexuality and Body Image

Highlights

Bollywood’s idea of sexuality has far-reaching consequences on India’s social fabric.

The impression of sexuality and body image as shown in Bollywood films tend to implant wrong ideas in their minds and mislead them.

Not only women but men too have become the victims of these notions of appealing body image and sexuality.

An international study finds that women in Indian movies are made to emphasize their sex appeal but are unlikely to have professions.

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Since its inception in the 1930s, Bollywood has been the go-to place for entertainment for a large fraction of the Indians.

We all love Bollywood and most of us even dream of becoming a Bollywood actor or actress. Everything in our daily lives from the way we dress, speak, behave, the style we choose to the way we think has been impacted by the cinemas.

We even see little kids dancing to the songs such as Chikni Chameli from Agneepath and Sheila Ki Jawaani from Tees Maar Khan. This shows the intensity of the impact created by Bollywood on young Indians and our society.

Do these kids know the meaning of those songs?

The lyrics of some of these songs go from bad to worse. Have you ever realized that most Bollywood songs that you rocked to so happily as a child were disgustingly sexist?

How do these kinds of songs and movies influence millions of young and old minds, across urban and rural India?

Bollywood films have a great impact on one’s perception of sexuality and body image. Bollywood films are indeed sold on women for they focus on objectifying women, but these methods adopted to portray women are not only limited to the screen but have a social impact too.

Misogyny is not a new thing in Bollywood

Cinema has far-reaching consequences on the young minds of Indians and Bollywood’s portrayal of women has been stereotypical for way too long.

For a long time, Bollywood romances have solely been an expression of male desire with women having no say. They are portrayed as eye-candy and hyper-sexualized in most of the advertising posters to attract the audience and added to the fuel are the item songs where a female in revealing and modern clothes dances amid a pack of men.

It is very common in commercial films that female characters are objectified as mere sexual objects without intellectual capability, while men are portrayed as strong, professional, and intellectual, and heroic.

The depiction of misogyny in Bollywood is hardly a new problem and is deeply rooted in the industry. Kabir Singh, for instance, though criticized for the way it portrayed an abusive relationship as a form of love was one of the highest-grossing movies of 2019.

“An international study finds that women in Indian movies are made to emphasize their sex appeal but are unlikely to have professions.”

Women are usually portrayed as sexual objects in Indian films and are mostly used for supportive and decorative roles as is evident in Kabir Singh and most Indian films.

Are Bollywood makers fully aware of glorifying and promoting misogyny in relationships?

These movies have made some people fear that it would inspire or even drive people to unacceptable behavior and may promote the dangerous idea that sexual harassment is acceptable. The success of this kind of movie which glorifies misogyny shows that there is still a long way to go to bring a change in the perception of sexuality among young Indians.

Showcase of Body Image

Movies have always been a very effective means of communication and the impression of sexuality and body image as shown in Bollywood films tend to implant wrong ideas in their minds and mislead them.

The female actor is shown beautiful and attractive with a light skin tone and a perfect body which makes the hero get attracted towards her. This portrayal of the women in Bollywood films has led many young girls to achieve the unrealistic beauty standards of the female actors going through the painful process of waxing and other beauty care with the desire to look attractive in the eyes of their partner.

Not only women but men too are the victims of these notions. Bollywood hero is objectified as a tall person with a chiseling physique and without body hair and fat. Most of the men are under hidden pressure to feel good about their bodies and attract their partners.

Most of the youth have forgotten to embrace their bodies. Not everyone’s body type is the same nor has the same skin tone all over their body. It is important to remember that it is their professional necessity that makes the actors take special care to maintain even skin tone and look beautiful to attract the audience.

While some filmmakers are trying to change the depiction of sexuality in Indian films, yet there is much to be done to have empathy and sensibility towards real women and the problems they face.

Bollywood’s idea of sexuality has far-reaching consequences on India’s social fabric. The actors need to realize that overemphasis of sexual scenes can have a huge impact on the young girls and boys and should have the courage to turn down the characters that objectify women with negative body image.

It’s time for all of us to take the responsibility to inculcate realistic cultural values among the young minds so that at least the next generation would know the reality and show respect towards others as well as themselves.

What causes low libido?

Unresolved conflict and frequent arguments with a partner

Poor communication with partner

Hormonal imbalance with low testosterone

Chronic illnesses

Medications like antidepressants

Stressful work-life routine

Body image issues

Mental health and medical problems

Menopause, age and falling androgens

Hence determining the cause of a low libido can also help in treating it effectively with the following options:

Sex therapy and/or relationship counseling.

Changing medications or altering the dose.

Addressing underlying medical conditions.

Vaginal estrogens.

Testosterone therapy.

Over-the-counter medications and pills are not evidence-based or tested for their efficacy hence should be avoided.

Also, a more psychological approach helps with the ‘mind over matter’ concept of helping women combat a falling libido.

“A woman’s libido is a muscle. If she doesn’t use it, she’ll lose it”, says Dr. Elly Michelle Lieppman, ND. Elly helps women transform their relationship with their bodies and connect with their inner radiance through balancing hormones, healing the metabolism, and cultivating intimacy with their bodies.

So according to Dr. Elly, since libido is a muscle and since muscles don’t magically appear, you have to put in the work to train them and you have to feed them. Libido is something we train, cultivate, and feed within ourselves as women.

“A common misconception about the female libido is that it’s either there or it’s not. Many women think if they don’t have it, there’s something wrong with them. Or maybe they just naturally have a low sex drive”, says Elly.

“You can absolutely train yourself to have a strong, healthy sex drive, is what she thinks. “We might not *feel* like going to the gym to work out, but we do it anyway because it’s good for us and we know how much better we will feel afterward! I encourage women to apply this same mindset to their libido”.

Some other ways to naturally pep up a falling sex drive and generally improve sexual health may also include lifestyle changes and bring a more healthy approach physically and mentally in life.

Eat a healthy diet and include natural aphrodisiacs in your meal

Have a good sleep cycle and be well rested

Exercise regularly

Some popular aphrodisiacs when it comes to food include:

Strawberries boost the adrenal gland and are known to produce hormones that help women orgasm.

Basil improves blood flow and increase heart rate.

Cinnamon heats up the body, which in turn boosts your sex drive.

Fenugreek is known to increase the production of testosterone.

Aniseed is another popular aphrodisiac

Ginger is known to increase circulation and body temperature, increasing desire.

Honey is packed with vitamin B and known to support testosterone production.

But for some people lack of a sex drive may not be a result of the above factors but a medical condition in itself. Female sexual interest/arousal disorder (FSIAD) is a form of sexual dysfunction where there is a persistent lack of sexual desire, which is not caused by a medical condition or medications. This type of condition may require medication and counseling as treatment.