We cannot deny the fact that Gender disparity exists, and we have a long way to go for equality to even become realistically possible. What has taken centuries of creation will take a few generations to be wiped out. What is heartening is that we are moving there, and the new generation is seeing an accelerated pace of change. The respect and recognition for women’s contribution and place in the workplace and family life are slowly being recognised. However, the change is at a different pace in different spaces and spheres of operation. And at times the message and the massage also gets confused and so does Happy Ending.
The work of a woman, the choices she makes, the place or the kind of work she does, the timings she keeps- are all still under scrutiny. It is not that the mindset has not changed or the efforts are not being made. The efforts need to be directed not only to empower the women and to ensure a safe working space but also at the individual and family grassroots level. The respect and sensitivity need to start at the smallest unit of the society- the family and its constituents.
Hence, this communication on Massage Service by Urban Company is a welcome sign of tackling a sensitive issue and the stereotyped thoughts associated with a particular job.
HAPPY ENDING
Happy Ending was all about Lived Happily Ever After – a story ending where everything turns out for the best of the protagonists. At the same time, the villains are defeated. Then, Happy Ending meaning changed to something different.
There was no real need for the brand to communicate this. If there was something- the brand could have said- no cross-gender service allowed, it could have been the end. But one must complement the brand that operates the on-site (mostly home) services, which has opened the discussion by leveraging one of their services. They have used the boundaries of the sensitive relationship of a brother and a sister and then turned it around the HappyWaali Ending is worth appreciating.
NET NET
This is a small but sensitive step. The fight will continue. The women will have to fight the stereotypes and keep answering the stupid questions. We shall break it one chip, one person at a time. Most of the change must happen at the family level. Otherwise, such communications will have a limited ( read negligible ) effect. We must demonstrate through our behaviour, expectations, experience, and interaction a general sense of righteousness and respect for every gender and empower them to lead their life with dignity. Then only a tsunami of change can be expected; otherwise, the small waves of such beautiful communication will crash on the shoes of hardened choices through generations, and someone would still have to defend a Happy Ending.
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