Afrida Ahmed and Sabah Mannan
Sometimes a woman’s beauty acts as an instrument of torture. So, Jui Narikel Tel came up with a new TV commercial. It is said that beauty holds power and that power is used as a victim of oppression. Many became very emotional after watching the new advertisement and some even had tears in their eyes. This commercial depicts the violence against women in our society.
The first scene of Jui Narikel Tel’s commercial shows a young woman entering a beauty parlor. Then she asks the beautician to make her hair shorter. After few trims, the beautician compliments her sleek hair and suggests that she should go for a layer cut. With sadness in her face, the young woman denies the suggestion and asks the beautician to cut her hair shorter. Completing the trim, the beautician held up a mirror to show the woman her short hair and with tearful eyes, the woman gripped her hair and asked the beautician to cut her hair so short that nobody can grab and pull it anymore.
The advertisement has done an excellent job at portraying an emotional story to us. Violence against women is a social problem which exists all over the world. This problem is more severe in poor countries like ours. Statistics show that 80 out of 100 women are a victim of abuse of some kind in Bangladesh. Many men think that their family will break apart if they do not abuse their wives.
This torture is not only seen in low-income families but also in the upper classes. Hair pulling is the most common form of physical abuse. Should a man raise his hands on a woman? How can the hair that mesmerize us, become a weapon to a man? The hair that beautifies a woman should not become her weakness.
The story shown in the advertisement is undoubtedly beautiful. We should come forward and stop the violence against women. Women’s Day is here so we should make a promise to ourselves to help prevent violence against women. The hair that contributes to a woman’s beauty turns to a weapon for man. We should stand up against these immoral acts of repression against women.