{"id":32978,"date":"2023-12-08T13:21:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T13:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/crying-woman-sells-rabia-butt-blaming-audience-writers-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-12-08T13:21:04","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T13:21:04","slug":"crying-woman-sells-rabia-butt-blaming-audience-writers-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/crying-woman-sells-rabia-butt-blaming-audience-writers-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Crying woman sells: Rabia Butt, blaming audience, writers | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pakistani actor and model Rabia Butt recently appeared as a panel guest at a local varsity event<\/a> to make a strong statement on the prevailing trope of the \u2018damsel in distress\u2019 on screen. The Jeevan Nagar<\/em> star protested the common practice of showing men cheating on their partners, arguing that this scenario frequently underpins the weak heroine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hero typically has an extra-marital love interest,\u201d she noted before slamming portrayals that demonise strong women as women of bad character. Rabia expressed her surprise at the popularity of such depictions despite various examples of tenacious women in real life, asserting, \u201cOur mothers are so strong, they\u2019ve got all of us on our toes.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the model had to concede that such stories are the creation of a system instead of an individual\u2019s property. \u201cWho writes these stories?\u201d Rabia posed rhetorically. \u201cYou can\u2019t pin this on directors solely or production houses. Writers pen these stories. Everyone has done their part [in encouraging these stories].\u201d<\/p>\n

She placed responsibility on viewers who make such exploits profitable for showrunners. Rabia contended, \u201cThe audience who continues to watch is also culpable. If a drama is made featuring a strong woman and ends up being a flop, why would the production house deliberately risk loss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crying woman sells,\u201d the actor added. \u201cThis is why production houses adapt such stories. And how does this sell? Because people watch this.\u201d Underscoring the audience\u2019s complicity in perpetuating harmful gender tropes, Rabia strongly declared, \u201cPeople lie when they say they want something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

She furthered on, \u201cThey don\u2019t. They want the same old beaten and downtrodden woman who cries to herself in her room alone.\u201d This is not the first time Rabia has articulated the need for better on-screen women. Essaying the role of a female police officer in the mini-series Gunah<\/em>, the actor previously divulged the depths of her character’s consciousness and shed light on the challenges faced by women in a male-dominated society.<\/p>\n

In a heartfelt Instagram post, she stated, “In portraying the role of a righteous female police officer in mini-series Gunah <\/em>in a society where the rule of law is but a distant dream and women are deemed inferior to men, I, Rabia Butt, delve into the depths of my character’s consciousness. As a Pakistani actress, I cannot ignore the harsh reality of our male-dominated society and the imperfections within our law and order system.”<\/p>\n

The star talked about the difficulty of the role as well. “Playing this character, my mind became a battleground of emotions. On one hand, the weight of responsibility to lead by example and deliver justice in such an arduous context pressed upon me. On the other hand, profound empathy emerged for the countless women who face daily struggles in a society that fails to recognise their true potential,” wrote the actor.<\/p>\n

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n