Poisonous Heroism and Media-Induced Gender Violence: A Critical Sociological Inquiry

 Title: Poisonous Heroism and Media-Induced Gender Violence: A Critical Sociological Inquiry

Zabir Saeed Badar

Abstract: This research article explores the pervasive influence of popular media, especially films and dramas, on shaping violent, hyper-masculine ideals and toxic gender dynamics. Drawing upon communication sciences and sociological theories of media violence, the paper illustrates how Bollywood and Pakistani dramas glorify male obsession and normalize the pursuit of women against their will. By analysing historical and modern media narratives, combined with real-world social reactions and murder justifications based on moral codes, the article reveals how media contribute to internalised misogyny among women and trigger societal decay. This study also draws from indigenous academic work in Pakistan to provide a local context.

In Pakistani and Indian popular culture, countless narratives romanticise the idea of male pursuit regardless of female consent. A typical portrayal features a college-going girl resisting a boy’s advances, only for him to make her his 'goal'—a sentiment dramatised through obsessive song sequences, stalking, and manipulation.¹ These storylines often lead to the girl giving in, which glamorises male persistence and silences female agency.²

This glorification of toxic masculinity—portrayed by Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Emraan Hashmi and others—cements the belief that men must chase, and women must eventually surrender.³ These patterns are not merely fiction; they embed themselves in the cognitive development of adolescents who lack the maturity to distinguish art from ethics.⁴

Numerous media violence theories explain how repeated exposure to such content fosters behavioural imitation. Bandura’s Social Learning Theory posits that individuals learn behaviours by observing role models, especially when those actions appear rewarded.⁵ Cultivation Theory by Gerbner further argues that consistent media messages shape worldviews over time, leading audiences to accept aggressive masculinity as normal.⁶

Real-world implications of these theories are visible in violent crimes where perpetrators claim moral superiority, justifying murder as a response to female behaviour deemed dishonourable.⁷ The public, influenced by centuries of cultural conditioning, often sympathises with the aggressor instead of the victim.

Shockingly, women themselves sometimes uphold these narratives. A sister-in-law shames another for leaving her husband; a mother warns her daughter against education lest she become ‘modern.’ Internalised patriarchy becomes evident when women defend their own oppression.⁸ Such attitudes reflect not only generational trauma but also the effectiveness of media indoctrination.

Academic contributions from Pakistan reinforce these insights. In Mass Communication: Advanced Studies by Zābir Saeed Badr, the author discusses how the media in Pakistan has historically reinforced regressive gender roles.⁹ Similarly, in his earlier work Iblāgh-e-ʿĀmma ke Jadīd Rujḥānāt, Badr critiques how local programming prioritises commercialism over ethical responsibility, creating a media environment that permits emotional exploitation and gender distortion.¹⁰

These portrayals are not accidental—they are commercially successful because they resonate with widespread patriarchal ideals. From TV serials to TikTok, the message is the same: assertive men are romantic; assertive women are vulgar.

Unless critical media literacy is taught in schools and promoted in public discourse, the cycle will repeat. As content becomes more violent and voyeuristic, the psychological and moral fabric of society continues to erode.

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1. Zābir Saeed Badr, Mass Communication: Advanced Studies (Lahore: Maktaba Danyal, 2014).

2. Albert Bandura, "Social Cognitive Theory of Mass Communication," Media Psychology 3, no. 3 (2001): 265–299.

3. George Gerbner and Larry Gross, "Living with Television: The Violence Profile," Journal of Communication 26, no. 2 (1976): 172–199.

4. Zābir Saeed Badr, Iblāgh-e-ʿĀmma ke Jadīd Rujḥānāt (Lahore: Maktaba Danyal, 2010).

5. Bandura, "Social Cognitive Theory," 268.

6. Gerbner and Gross, "Living with Television," 174.

7. See example in Sara Inam case, 2022, where moral justification was used to defend the perpetrator.

8. See Fatima Mernissi, Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Muslim Society (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987).

9. Badr, Mass Communication, 58–65.

10. Badr, Iblāgh-e-ʿĀmma, 71–79.