Women have mixed opinions of television dramas

Women have mixed opinions of television dramas

By Dini S. Djalal

JAKARTA (JP): When you tune in to a sinetron, do you like what you see?

Not State Minister of Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi, who publicly declared her disdain for the mini-series' portrayals of women.

"They degrade the role of women," Mien was quoted as saying by Antara, elaborating that women are portrayed as "dead commodities" who are the source of societal problems.

Do other women agree? The answers are as varied as the women of modern Indonesia.

In the last few years, the sinetron mini-series has usurped the disappearing Indonesian film industry as a mainstream cultural voice. The current generation is a TV generation, with television sets blaring in over 60 percent of urban households, and in 25 percent of rural households. As television stations attempt to fulfill government recommendations of 80 percent Indonesian-content programming, the sinetrons' cultural influence will undoubtedly grow.

The number of sinetrons has skyrocketed, from a total of 112 shows in 1990 to a projected 800 in 1995. High production costs, however, have hindered quality control. Shows are similar to each other, and storylines rarely venture beyond slapstick comedy or melodrama.

Yet sinetrons are notable beyond their dubious entertainment value. For many viewers, particularly the younger generation, sinetrons offer aspirations and a model for behavior. The stars of the most popular shows, such as Si Doel, are heroes to Jakarta's Betawi community and much of thee rest of the city's population.

But who are the heroines? In a seminar two years ago entitled "Women and Mass Media", Sita Aripurnami from Yayasan Kalyana Mitra illustrated the dichotomy between men's and women's roles in sinetrons. Men were seen in public roles, while women were relegated to domestic roles.

Portrayals of women have not changed considerably. Psychologist Debra Yatim, also a speaker at the seminar, updates the perception.

"Women in sinetrons always fall back on traditional roles like cooking. But I personally don't know any peer of mine, especially a middle-class women, who actually cooks," said Debra.

Debra adds that the portrayal of working women is also inadequate. Citing the example of Indosiar's sinetron Flamboyan 108, Debra said that, "you don't see the (two working women) in the professional setting, so you don't see if they're competent or not." Debra added that, in contrast, men's characters revolve around their workplace.

The nuances of female experiences are also often neglected, said film director Nan T. Achnas. "Sinetron portrayals are very black and white, with no gray areas. Women are either super mothers who sacrifice everything for the family, or career women who think their careers are everything, and are made out to be selfish," Nan explained.

Yet there have been a few attempts at exploring this gray area. University of Indonesia's sociologist Mely Tan said that you cannot generalize about sinetrons.

"We have to differentiate between the sinetrons, and compare the upper-middle class roles of some sinetrons, which are not very authentic, and the women who play real roles, such as Atun in Si Doel. The fact that Atun can be overweight and still be publicly accepted means that the public likes to see more realistic people," said Mely.

Audiences are not alone in wanting to see a wider range of characters. Sinetron actress Ira Wibowo, currently starring in RCTI's Mutiara Cinta, laments that women in sinetrons are either teenagers or mothers.

"I wish I could play a woman in her thirties or late twenties, with all the usual problems women face at that age," Ira said.

Ira adds that subtle characters rather than extreme ones are more rewarding. "There is a challenge to every character, but roles that are not too extreme are more challenging. It's easier playing a crazy person because you can exaggerate; it's not so easy to understand the subtleties of ordinary characters," said Ira.

Yet Rima, Ira's character in Mutiara Cinta, faces more extreme hardships than the average person, getting kidnapped, drugged, abandoned, impoverished, and giving birth to a baby with heart- failure.

"But Mira is a very strong woman," Ira replied, "I am proud of her character."

The other female characters in Mutiara Cinta, particularly the two conniving drunkards, are hardly role models. Is this not a derogatory portrayal of women?

Ira says the roles reflect reality. "In real life, there are women like that," she said.

Mely Tan has a similar answer.

"These situations exist, or else you wouldn't have women found dead in Jakarta's hotels," said Mely.

Diana Pungky from the sinetron Kanan Kiri OK also feels that these portrayals of women are just.

"To be fair, we can't just show the good side of women, but must also show the bad side. We have to look at women's roles from afar," said Diana.

When asked about what roles she would like to play, however, Diana shies away from accepting bad-girl characters. "If you play an evil character on-screen, the public tends to treat you like you are that person in real life. I have heard other actresses complain that they get hostile looks when they go to the supermarket," said Diana.

Her sinetron character has affected her life.

"People now call me by my sinetron name Muna, not my real name. Viewers identify with the character," said Diana.

Viewers may identify with sinetron characters, but character range is limited.

"Sinetrons about career women, or just about women themselves, usually don't have much of an audience," said Diana.

Women directors

Debra Yatim has also noticed a movement towards domestication of women's roles in the last six years on private television stations.

"There are expectations of womanhood perpetuated in sinetrons," said Debra.

Would women's roles be better reflected if there were more women directors?

Ida Farida, the most prominent sinetron female director, is directing seven episodes for the upcoming Wanita, a 26-episode sinetron about women in various professions.

Women like her are lone figures. In 1985, Nan T. Achnas became the first female Film Direction graduate from the Jakarta Art Institute's Film Department.

"Now there are seven female students in the program, so there have been improvements," said Nan T. Achnas.

A woman's presence behind the camera, however, will not necessarily result in better on-screen portrayals.

"Just because you're a woman doesn't mean you will create representative roles. That's like saying you have to be pregnant to know about being a parent," said Nan.

Ira Wibowo agrees that working with a woman director is no different than being instructed by a man.

"I thought that there would be more insight to the women's roles, but in the end it goes back to the scenario and the story. There's really not much difference between female and male directors," said Ira.

An increased female presence in the film industry should however enrich the range of experiences of both men and women.

"More women in the industry would bring a different voice," said Nan.

Women film directors, however, remain a rarity, despite the fact that actresses outnumber actors in most sinetrons. Some actresses such as Dewi Yull and Marissa Haque have expressed interest in directing, but so far only two women, Debby Sahertian for Flamboyan 108 and Ida Farida, can claim to be directors. Gary Pelletier of Multivision Plus Production House says that it's a matter of availability rather than discrimination.

"It's not that there are unemployed women directors. There just doesn't seem to be that many women in the field," said Gary.

Perhaps Minister Mien Sugandhi should fund scholarships for aspiring women directors.