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.