Not Modern Like Katrina Kaif But Bejewelled: Here Is How AI Depicts An Ideal Indian Daughter-In-Law

“Apko lagta hai Katrina kabhi small town ki heroine lagegi (Do you think Katrina would ever look like a small-town heroine)?” filmmaker Laxman Utekar said While speaking about not casting Katrina Kaif opposite Vicky Kaushal in ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’.

For him, Kaif does not fit the constructs of a middle-class ‘bahu’. He added Kaif’s aura would not fit the image of a daughter-in-law in a middle-class joint family. He would like to cast her in future if he would find a role that would suit her personality.

In 2021, Kaif and Kaushal got married in a traditional Hindu ceremony and she seems to have settled well in her new family.

Who do you define as an ideal daughter-in-law? Does a woman working in the kitchen come to your mind, or a working woman trying to balance her work and family and giving two-hoots about what society thinks of her?

We thought if a modern, strong, and independent woman like Kaif is not an ideal inspiration for a middle-class Indian daughter-in-law, then who would be? We asked Artificial Intelligence (AI) to depict and define an ideal Indian ‘bahu’. The results were sexist and misogynist.

Bejewelled And Brown

We tried two image-generating platforms - Image Creator powdered by DALL-E and Gencraft. We asked the platforms to generate images of an Indian daughter-in-law. Gencratft showed a young woman, probably in her late teens or early 20s with a dark brown complexion and heavily decked up in jewellery.

When we fed Image Creator with the same query, it generated images of women with fair complexion compared to Gencraft. However, they were all dressed up like brides with kohl-smudged eyes and bejewelled.

We fed both platforms with a query to generate images for an Indian housewife. It was no surprise this time because all women were shown working in the kitchen or posing with utensils. That’s all? Is that all that a homemaker does? Image Creator also showcased a few older women with grey hair working in the kitchen when we searched for a 'middle-class Indian housewife'.

Looks like the AI’s idea of an ideal Indian daughter-in-law reflects Utekar's point of view. But is it the reality of today? Whether in metropolitan cities or villages do we see bejewelled women typing on laptops or working round the clock in the kitchen to serve delicacies on the dinner table? And here we thought that modern women are smart, outspoken, independent, and strong.

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Caregiver To Slim and Fair-Skinned: An Ideal Indian Daughter-In-Law Defined By ChatGPT And Google Bard

We asked ChatGPT to define an ideal daughter-in-law in a middle-class Indian family. Among many things, it defined her role as, “fulfilling various household duties, such as managing the household chores, cooking, taking care of children (if any), and maintaining harmonious relationships with her in-laws. She is often expected to be respectful, obedient, and supportive of her husband and his family.”

It said that an ideal ‘bahu’ is expected to pursue her career and education keeping in mind that her primary focus is fulfilling her duties as a wife and daughter-in-law.

This one definition did not spread its charm, so we went to Google Bard and entered a similar query. It gave eight characteristics that are ‘associated’ with an ideal Indian middle-class daughter-in-law.

• She should be fair-skinned, slim, and have long, flowing hair.
• She should have a college degree or equivalent.
• She should be polite, well-spoken, and respectful of elders.
• She should be able to cook a variety of Indian dishes.
• She should be able to keep her home clean and tidy.
• She should be able to take care of her in-laws and her husband's children.
• She should respect her in-laws and follow their rules.
• She should be able to balance her responsibilities as a wife and daughter-in-law with her goals and ambitions.

‘Follow rules’, ‘be obedient’, ‘fair-skinned’, ‘flowing hair’, ‘slim’, ‘good cook’, and ‘supportive to her husband and his family’ are some of the keywords that define an Indian daughter-in-law (Rules Set For Daughter-In-Law).

We thought that being a daughter-in-law was just a title that one gets after getting married. However, it seems like a course with many subjects, and a woman must ace each of them.

Not only is AI’s idea of a daughter-in-law flawed and outdated, but it seems that it has been fed sexist and misogynist definitions that do not consider women having opinions and individuality.

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If that is how Utekar sees an Indian daughter-in-law, it seems like a character that we could sympathise with but not relate to anymore. Today, women are fighting for equity, equality and fair treatment. The fight would not bear any fruits as long as this image remains to be ‘ideal’. If movies continue to depict this as a ‘reality’ or a ‘relatable’ image, they might fail to strike a chord with the audience, especially women.

Do you aspire to be a modern daughter-in-law like Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, or Alia Bhatt or a traditional, obedient, and bejewelled one that AI defines?

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