Indian Women in Comedy:

An Inquiry into the Perpetuation of Rape Culture on Social Media

Authors

  • Mridula Sharma

Keywords:

Comedy, Women, Rape Culture, Social Media, Digital Abuse

Abstract

‘Postfeminist’ society has created the impression that contemporary discourses on gender representation, particularly in digital media platforms, are pointless. This misconception is coupled with online aggression by men’s rights activists who position feminist debates as sources of male oppression. However, media practices and consumption processes continue to maintain the supremacy of the male gender identity, which strengthens the process of transforming social media into a component of the “manosphere.” The failure of the fourth wave of feminism in utilising the Internet for mobilising activism for the ontological equality of all genders has succeeded by increasing gender-based violence against women. Indian women in comedy negotiate with these systemic inequalities while navigating male dominance in the comedy industry. The paper is an attempt to examine the structures of gender inequality and bias that affect the participation and advancement of women in the comedy circuit. Its focus remains on the formulation of a rape culture on social media and its subsequent consequences in the larger social context of the development of a patriarchal culture. 



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Author Biography

Mridula Sharma

 

Mridula Sharma is a student at University of Delhi. She has published about 15 research papers in academic journals and 4 book chapters in edited anthologies. She has been commissioned to write book reviews for several journals. She has also presented papers in over 25 national and international conferences. Her research interests include intersectional feminist theory, postcolonial writing, 18th century British novel, ‘popular’ representations of marginality, and contemporary advancements in cinema.



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Published

2021-09-18

How to Cite

Sharma, M. (2021). Indian Women in Comedy: : An Inquiry into the Perpetuation of Rape Culture on Social Media. Sanglap: Journal of Literary and Cultural Inquiry, 7(2), 26–47. Retrieved from https://sanglap-journal.in/index.php/sanglap/article/view/4