ORE Open Research Exeter

TITLE 'Whore-ocracy’: show girls, the beauty trade-off, and mainstream oppositional discourse in contemporary

AUTHORS Hipkins, Danielle

JOURNAL Italian Studies

DEPOSITED IN ORE 25 July 2013

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http://hdl.handle.net/10871/12063

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The version presented here may differ from the published version. If citing, you are advised to consult the published version for pagination, volume/issue and date of publication Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies Discourse inContemporaryItaly Trade-Off, andMainstreamOppositional ‘Whore-ocracy’: ShowGirls,theBeauty italian studies © TheSocietyfor ItalianStudies2011 1 keywords subtler understandingsoffemalesubjectivity,pleasure andspectatorship. and theworkofRosalindGillinparticular,includingpostfeminist theoryand ment intheItaliancontext.Thesemodelsstemfrom feminist mediastudies into the‘velina’debatecertaintheoreticalmodelsrequire furtherdevelop- visual representations.Iwillsuggestthatinordertointroduce somenuance the debate,splittingofwomen,beautytrade-offandproblematic undermines criticisminthemainstreammedia,duetotermsused ‘velina’, ‘velinismo’,andwomeninpublicspacestoapointthatseriously nence. Iwillthenshowhowthishistoryhasinformedthedebateabout namely theequationbetweenfemalebeauty,stupidityandsexualinconti- how ithasbeenfurtherinflectedintheItaliancontextbya has beenusedtokeepwomeninacertainplaceItaliansociety,showing Second WorldWar.Iwillrefertotheideaof‘thebeautymyth’andhowthis performance andprostitutionhasinfactdefinedItalianculturesincethe tion. InthisarticleIwillbeginbyshowinghowapreoccupationwithfemale for debatesaboutSilvioBerlusconi,hismediaempireandpoliticalcorrup- as dangerouslyakintothescapegoatedprostitute,hasbecomeshorthand ian cultureaboutthefigureof‘velina’,ortelevisionshowgirl,perceived European televisionnetworks.However,amoralpanicincontemporaryItal- Women onItaliantelevisionareobjectifiedmorefrequentlythanother University ofExeter Danielle Hipkins made helpfulsuggestions foritsimprovement. O’Leary forengagingwithmyideason hisblog.Finally,Iamverygratefultothereviewersofthisarticle,who November 2010atQueenMaryCollege, London,forcommentsonearlierversionsofthispaper;andAlan co-organized attheLondonWomen’s LibrarywithKateTaylor,March2010,andonItalianPoliticalCinema, information andmanysuggestionsfor thisarticle.Ialsothankparticipantsatworkshopsonprostitution, Fiona Handyside,VickyBall,andabove allIlariaMasengaandCatherineO’Rawe,whohavegivenmeuseful I thankfamily,friendsandcolleagues: Dominic,Simon,Karen,George,KateMitchell,FrancescoGoglia, velina, prostitute,femalebeauty,Italiantelevision,postfeminism , Vol.66No.3,November,2011,413–30 DOI 10.1179/007516311X13134938224529 beauty trade-off 1 , Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies The antiheroofthefilm Introduction 3 2 Pier PaoloPasolini’scritique ofwomenontelevisionisoftencitedtoreinforceit: between theterm‘velina’andprostitute—alinkthathas strongintellectualheritage. coined byBerlusconi’sopponents.Thereisevidentslippage inthecurrentdiscourse that hasaccompaniedtheroleinrecentyears. young women,and‘velinocrazia’todescribethepotential accesstopoliticalpower bly, but‘velinismo’tendstoindicatetheperceivedtriumph ofthisaspirationamongst ‘velina’: ‘velinismo’and‘velinocrazia’.Thetermsaresometimes usedinterchangea- audiences thanthefinalofMissItaly. turned intoaculttelevisionshowitself, The labelgainedparticularnotorietywhenthecompetition tobecomea‘velina’was quickly, althoughthesenumbershavebeenexaggeratedinawidespreadmoralpanic. wonder thatincreasingnumbersofgirlsaspiretotheroleasawaygetrich Quindicimila euroalmese,includendo“serate”etelepromozione’. poco. Nonèrichiestosapercantare,ballare,recitareoparlare.Siguadagnatanto. for right-wingculturalmonopoly.CandidaMorvillorecounts:‘Velinesidiventacon within theFascistMinistryofInformation,ironicnowthatshehasbecomeaby-word a parodicallusiontothenamegivenslipsofpaperdispatchinginstructions hotpants. Theveryname‘velina’carriespoliticalsignificance,sincethetermwas news show describe thetwogirlsrequiredtopresentitemsofnewsonparodictelevision ‘letterina’, ‘letteronza’andthe‘prezzemolina’.Theterm‘velina’wascoinedto joke; thetitlesassignedtothemrangefrommoretraditional‘valletta’ most oftensilentassistants,permittedtheoddsong,simpledance(stacchetto),or Their diminutivelabelsgenerallyreflecttheirstatusas‘grechine’,decorative,but bodies inastereotypically‘sexy’way:girlsappearmostoftenhotpantsorbikinis. has becomeendemicinrecentyears,withanincreasingemphasisonrevealingtheir girls, whoseappearanceonItaliantelevisiondatesbacktothe1950s.Theirpresence prominent thinkersandwriterswithinItalyitselfseemoverlyhastytoendorse. become ashorthandformoralcorruptionandculturaldecay,which — theItaliantelevisionshowgirl,or‘velina’assheismostcommonlyknown,has Coppola choosesthisparticularsettingtocauseherheroreflectuponhisdecline larly sincehistwelveyear-olddaughterisintheaudience.Itnocoincidencethat dance aroundhiminwhatheclearlyperceivesasembarrassingproximity,particu- sion. Oncehandedtheprize,hehesitatesasyoungwomeningold-sequinedbikinis twins inhisLAhotelroom.OnescenefindshimreceivingaprizeonItaliantelevi- actor, whosesexlifeconsistsofonenightstandsandregularvisitsfrompole-dancing 414 Morvillo, p.73. nostri Candida Morvillo, Alongside thelabel‘velinocrazia’,‘mignottocrazia’— whoreocracy,hasbeen At themostobviouslevel,however,‘velina’standsinforahostoftelevisionshow- (Milan:Rizzoli,2003),p.7. DANIELLE HIPKINS Striscia lanotizia La repubblicadelleveline:vita,vezzi evizidelleragazzedellativudaglianni50aigiorni Somewhere in1988,kneelingontopofthenewsdesk,oftenwearing (SofiaCoppola,2010)isajadedHollywood 3 Twofurthertermshavearisenfromthe Veline , thefinalofwhichattractedlarger 2 Itisperhapslittle Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies networks. Italian televisionareobjectifiedmorefrequentlythanonotherEuropean which remainsafundamentalandseriousobstacleforwomeninItaly.Womenon it. has failedtoshakeoffthisequivalence,andoftencontinuesaccidentallyreinforce ‘puttana’ or‘mignotta’inItalian). ally attractive,performingwomen,withthemoralizinglabelof‘whore’(typically this tendencyhasitsrootsinthepostwarcinematicequivalenceofyoung,convention- all thatisnegativeaboutBerlusconi’speriodofpower?Iwillbeginbyshowing is: whydoesshemattersomuch?Whyhasthefigureof‘velina’cometoincarnate binary patternsofthought.Yetthemostimportantquestiontoaskabout‘velina’ argument stagnatesindrearyrepetition,asmostoppositioncollapsesintothese redolent ofpaternalistic,puritanicalattitudestowardsfemalesexuality.Thusthe young womendonotknowtheirownmindsandneedre-educationismorethan women throughtherhetoricof‘choice’.Onotherhand,argumentthatthese patriarchal thoughtthatendorsestheexploitationofeconomicallydisadvantaged women tochoosehowusetheirbodies,andsidewiththekindoflibertarian 8 7 6 5 4 and excessiveobjectificationofwomenonItaliantelevision hascomearoundthrough make itso.AswebactivistLorellaZanardoandothershave explained,theparticular have tobeobjectifyingperse,roles,costumesandcamerawork oftencombineto quella della“donnadispettacolo”’. that, withtheexceptionoftelevisiondrama,‘l’immagine piùfrequentedunqueè models ofthought. about prostitution,thereisatendencyforthedebatetofreefallintopatriarchal problems withthe‘velina’issueisthat,asRussellCampbellsuggestsdebates shown headingtoItalyattheendoffilmtakeupjobsas‘veline’.One cinepanettone in manydepictions,fromdocumentaryfilmtofictionalcameos:oneofthepopular Today theslippagebetweensuchfemaleperformersandactofprostitutionrecurs Quoted inGiovannaCampani, addressing changeintherepresentation ofwomen,quotedinLorellaZanardo, In theCensisreport particularly viatheinternet,nevertheless urgentlydemandsrecognition. activism. Theseriesofdiverseresponses tothesituationfromawiderangeofthirdwavegroupsinItaly, In focussingonmainstreammediarhetoric, Ihavebeenabletomakefewreferencesgrassrootsfeminist Russell Campbell, Quoted in Wisconsin Press,2006). Feltrinelli, 2010),p.140. 6 I willshowhowmainstreamcontemporaryleft-wingandfeministanalysisinItaly di puttana ed ècostrettaafarloinmodomostruoso,cioèconfemminilità.Nerisulta d’importanza minima,comeperesempioinformaredeiprogrammidellagiornata; qui ladonnaèconsiderataatuttiglieffettiunessereinferiore:vienedelegataincarichi (my emphasis) Thepurposeofthisarticleisnot,however,todetractattentionfromsexismitself, 7 CriticsofitsusewomencitetheCENSISreport2006,whichfound chelanciaalpubblicosorrisidiimbarazzantecomplicitàefalaidiocchietti. films, Marked Women:ProstitutesandProstitutionintheCinema Donne emedianell’Europa 5 Inthecaseof‘velina’,someargueforfreedomyoung Natale aRio , 5June,2009. Veline nyokkeecilici (Neri Parenti,2008),twoBrazilianprostitutesare 8 Thisimageisone-sided,andwhilstitdoesnot of2006,ItalyandGreecefeatureasthe countries‘resistant’to (Bologna:Odoya,2009),p.92. Il corpodelledonne ‘WHORE-OCRACY’ (Madison:Universityof una specie (Milan: 4 415

Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies tialist associationwithsex,andforthemtoactsymbolically asscapegoatsforItaly’s of resistance,occupation,andliberationwastokeepthem trappedwithinanessen- women weredepictedsopervasivelyasprostitutesinthe contextoffilmnarratives tion popularpriortothewar.However,Ihaveconcluded thatthemainreasonwhy prostitute createdareassuringlyfamiliarnarrative,rooted inthemelodramatictradi- nation’s prostitutingitselftotheAlliedliberator.Equally onecouldarguethatthe numbers ofwomenturningtosexwork,orasasymbolic denunciationoftheItalian prostitutes. that manyfilmsdepictingtheoccupationandliberationofItalydisplaywomenas What traceofthisfilteredontotheItalianscreen?Ihavealreadyarguedelsewhere struggle forItaly’sliberation.Bywayofrecompense,theygainedthevotein1946. taking overmen’srolesintheirabsence,andparticipatingactivelythearmed In ItalytheSecondWorldWarenabledwomentoenterpublicsphereindroves, The emergenceoftheprostituteasscapegoat Postwar background and popularculturecouldhelptoresolvetheimpassedescribedinthisarticle. Gill, onrecognizingthecomplexityofrelationshipbetweenfemalesubjectivity ture, andyettheemphasisinpostfeministtheory,particularlyworkbyRosalind an increasing‘sexualization’.ItstheorizationhasmadefewinroadsintoItaliancul- associated withtheproliferationofparticularkindshyperfemininity,particularly enmeshed withthedemandsofneoliberalsocietytoofferanapparentchoiceand traditional notionsoffemininityincontemporarypopularculture.Itisdeeply of the1990s,inwhichaspectssecondwavefeminismarereconciledwithmore slippery termmostoftenusedtodescribeastagebeyond,butcloseto,the‘backlash’ more typicallydescribedinanglophonediscourseaspostfeminist.Postfeminismisa the representationofwomen. observe itsownethicalcodesofconduct,nationalandinternationallawregarding sion ofBerlusconi’smediaempire.PrivateandstateItaliantelevisionhasfailedto the competitionresultingfromderegulationofItaliantelevision,andexpan- 11 10 9 while expressingfeministideas’. an anti-feministbacklash,manyyoungwomendisplayaresistancetofeminism,even critics regardItalyasundergoingtheeffectsofabacklash:‘incontextmarkedby into accountanewframeworkofanalysis:postfeminism.Atthemoment,many to critiqueItalianculturecouldbestrengthenedintheirattackonsexismbytaking 416 of OppositionunderBerlusconi,2001 ‘Feminist ActivismandPractice:Asserting AutonomyandResistingPrecarity’in Manuela Galletto,ChiaraLasala,Sveva Magaraggia,ChiaraMartucci,ElisabettaOnori,andCharlotteRoss, See Zanardo,pp.105–13. Literature andFilm in Italiancinemabetween1940and 1953’in See DanielleHipkins,‘WereSistersDoing ItForThemselves?:Thesister-prostituteanddiscreditedmasculinity Charlotte Ross,andNinaRothenberg, pp.190–203(p.194). In thisarticleIwouldliketoshowhowthetoolsofanalysiscurrentlyemployed DANIELLE HIPKINS 11 Typicallythishasbeenreadasareflectionoftherealincreasein , ed.byDanielleHipkinsandGillPlain (Oxford:PeterLang,2007),pp.81–103. 9

– 6 10 (Continuum, 2009),ed.byDaniela Albertazzi,ClodaghBrook, Thekindofdisavowaldescribedhereisinfact War-Torn Tales:RepresentingGender andWorldWarIIin Resisting theTide:Cultures Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies donne perbenenellaculturapatriarcale?’ quanto sianostatesemprenecessarieledonneperduteperaumentareilvaloredelle figure inItaliancultureisPiaCovre,asexworkers’rightsactivist,whoasks:‘Di context oneofthefewcommentatorstoreferthislong-termuseprostitute example liesintheRomeepisodeofRobertoRossellini’sfilm1946, (silenced) roleinthewar,aningloriousstoryofconqueredmasculinities.Aclear 14 13 12 stars, theso-called‘maggioratefisiche’,frombeautycontests or‘fotoromanzi’(Sofia Verginità test, andthe‘fotoromanzo’asafrontforrecruitmentto prostitution, asinDeMitra’s hands ofevilwould-bewhiteslavetraffickers,whoused thelureofbeautycon- vulnerable younggirls,ofafundamentallyvirtuousnature, couldberescuedfromthe most obviously for thevulnerableItalianbodypolitic. there isevidenceofthelongstandingtraditionusing thefemalebodytostandin moralizing andleft-wingpoliticalintent.MillicentMarcushasnotedhowinthisfilm fulfilling theneedtodestroyfemalefetishfigure,withaparticularlyItalian if notstupidity,fromwhichshecouldonlyredeemherselfthroughsuicide,thus sumer culture.Herbeautyandhersexualincontinencewerecoupledwithgullibility, Hayworth, onlytonarratehersusceptibilitythe‘fotoromanzo’andUS-ledcon- clever marketingofanewstar,SilvanaMangano,promotedastheItalianRita most popular‘fotoromanzo’ of Silvana,heroinetheleft-wingmovie comic strips.Thefirst,andbestknownexampleofthiskindattack,isthestory ‘fotoromanzi’, weekliesforwomenrecountingtalesofromancethroughphoto graphic culture uponyoungwomenwasdepictedascorruptingthroughattacksonthe began toincrease,ifinthefaceofresistance.Incinemainfluencepopular In thelate1940sfemaleconsumerpowerandactivityinpublicsphereslowly sphere Bad girls:Growingfemaleconsumerpowerandactivityinthepublic più semplicevendersiaqualchesoldatoalleato’. ‘redimono laspecieconesempidibravuraeeroismo’whilstothers‘trovanoancor was reminiscentofFrancesca’scomment,asshepaidtributetothosewomenwho by oneofItaly’sfeministwriters,SibillaAleramo,whosemoralisticinflection not limitedtothisepisode.Itwasunderlinedinaradiospeechthepreviousyear poverty’. Thisvisionofwartimeprostitutionasthemorallyweakgirls’optionwas who haveworked,foundawayofdefendingthemselvesfromhungerand prostitution thewayshehas:‘Therearelotsofgood,decentgirlswhoworking, the Italiangirl,Francesca,explainstoaGIthatnotallwomenhaveturned D. E.StewartandA.Cornish(Turnhout, Belgium:Brepols,2000),pp.329–47. in Millicent Marcus,‘TheItalianBodyPolitic isaWoman:FeminizedNationalIdentityinPost-warItalianFilm’ May 2011]. Pia Covre,‘Dopoil13febbraio’posted onhttp://www.lucciole.org/content/view/665/3/,16/2/11[accessed10 degli italianidal1880aoggi From aspeechmadebySibillaAleramo, 9April1945,quotedinMartaBoneschi, Sparks andSeeds:MedievalLiterature anditsAfterlife—EssaysinHonourofJohnFreccero (1952).Thedoublestandardsofacinemathatrecruited almostallitofits about female sexuality.Inmoreconservativenarratives,similarly (Milan: Mondadori,2000),p.233. Grand Hôtel 14 However,thediscourseisalsodirectlyand 13 Bitter Rice . Themoviepulledinthecrowdswithits 12 Significantly,inthecontemporary , 1948,whomweseereadingthe ‘WHORE-OCRACY’ Senso: icostumisessuali Paisà , inwhich , ed.by 417 Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies In amorecontemporarykey,NaomiWolf’spolemic of 1990, beauty, whenhewritesthat: Gundle. However,UmbertoEcoremindsusofthedarkerconnotationsfeminine beauty is‘uniquetothepeninsula’. that ‘theverylong-standinghighculturaltraditionofpreoccupation’withfeminine In hisbook The beautytrade-off problematic fashion. second-wave feminismofthe1970s,toemergeinpresentdayasimilarly and anyyoungaspiringstarlet.Thisisatrend,wewillseelater,whichsurvives concern abouttheexperienceofordinarywomen,tendsto‘other’femalestar, strand ofintervention,minglingthemoralizingleft-wingpaternalisticmodelwith tially proto-feministmodel,itisusefultoobservehowtheemergenceofaparticular Cardone’s studyofthisparticularmagazine,whichcouldberegardedasapoten- just asmoreconservativewomen’smagazinesoftheperioddid. about thehorrorsthatwouldbefall‘normal’womenwhoattemptedtobecomestars, and imagesofcinemastardom,itwenttogreatlengthscreatemoralitytales and beautyculturetoattractareadership.Whilstsellingthemagazineswithstories Whilst distancingitselffromthe‘fotoromanzo’,magazineusedpopularcinema to recruitingwomentheleft,endedupinmuchsameconundrum1950s. initially associatedwiththeItalianCommunistParty,foundedin1944,anddedicated culture morebroadly,asKirstenPullenhasobserved. ing womenofallkindsfellundertheshadowprostitution:atendencyatplayin lack ofrespectforfemaleperformers.Inmanyfilmnarrativestheperiodperform- Loren beingthebest-knownexample)appearstriking,buttheyadduptoageneral beautiful appearancewastobecomeforwomen,and how damagingthatwasfor anticipated howcentraltoneo-liberalcapitalismthepreservation ofayouthfuland community’. something, namelyvisibilityandacentralplaceintheconstructionofnational was —usedagainstclaimsforlegalequalityandaccesstoeducation)gavethem ty bothtooksomethingfromwomen(insofarasitsdeploymentcouldbe—and 418 19 18 17 16 15 Umberto Eco, Gundle, p.xxv. Stephen Gundle, pp. 87–88. Lucia Cardone,‘ 2005). Kirsten Pullen, illusione direndersipiacentealmarito,opeggio,agliestranei. si trucchiconimpiastriealtriartificipermascherareisuoi difetti fisici,nellavanitosa polemica conlalicenzadelmondopagano),appareevidentel’insinuazione cheladonna sempre tutt’unoconlaprostituzionedelcorpo’.Apartecondanna morale(el’evidente .]ricordacome‘secondoleScritturegliadescamentidellabellezza fan . Tertulliano [. Lucia Cardonehasshownhowthemagazine DANIELLE HIPKINS Bellissima: FeminineBeautyandtheIdeaofItaly 18 Storia dellabruttezza ActressesandWhores:OnStage inSociety Whatthebeautyculttookawayfromwomenremainsinbracketsfor Bellissima: FeminineBeautyandtheIdea ofItaly Noi donne ’ eilcinema:DalleillusioniaZavattini (1944 (Turin:Bompiani,2007),p.159. 17 Hegoesontoaddthat‘theemphasisbeau- Noidonne (YaleUniversityPress,2007),p.xix. (Cambridge: CambridgeUniversityPress, 15 19 – , thewomen’smagazine 54) , StephenGundlewrites (Pisa:EdizioniETS,2009), The BeautyMyth 16 Inrelationto

Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies old prejudicesdescribedbyEco,toformasortoftwisted context, thedoublebindofbeautywastakenseveraldegreesfurther,layeredupon dieting, eatingdisorders,andfinancialindenturetothebeautyindustry.InItalian for theirincreasingparticipationinthepublicsphere. them. Wolfarguedthatthebeautymythwasaformofpenaltyexacteduponwomen 23 22 21 20 of the1950s,caughtsomewherebetweenaspiringstarlet andtheprostitute,has The functionoftheaspiring‘velina’asasubstitutefor themorallyendangeredgirl Dirty prettythings:recentdebatesaboutshowgirls una “bona”,bellachesposavailragazzo,eiofacevol’antagonistacomica’. .]C’erasempre . ‘Quasi sempreeromessaincontrapposizioneconunamoltobella[. witty personaandlackofa‘maggiorata’physiquetocomicends.Inherownwords: few femalestarsoftheperiodtomakeanamebymanipulatingherfast-talking, film-making practicesofafemalestarinthe1950s.FrancaValeriwasone vilified modelofbeauty,mayhavemanipulatedthe women breakthoserulesandnorms,mustpayaprice. that “control”womenmorallyandsocially’. ferable toallwomen,butparticularlythosewhotransgresstherulesandnorms .]istrans- . three. Herewecansee,withMaggieO’Neill,that‘“thewhorestigma”[. aspired topossessit),oneautomaticallybecamebad,stupid,orawhore:possiblyall made onedesirable,andshouldaspiretoit,butifpossessedit(orevenworse, being punishedfortheirpublicrole,andparticipateinthe parody ofdemocracyforwomen.Wolfclaimedthatwomeninternalizetheidea participation. Indeedthepopularbeautycontest,arguably,becameadistorted beauty waspromotedinthepostwarperioddidshadowwomen’sincreasingpublic argument hasrelevancetotheItaliancase,forferocitywithwhichcultof the purposesofthispiece,however,itissignificantthather1955film in Italiancinemasheservedanimportantrolethatdeservesfurtherinvestigation.For There isnodoubtthatinmaking‘otherwomen’andtheirdilemmasatleastvisible not bethelastcriticofbeautyculttoattackitviaits veryembodiment. their dissatisfaction.Inthiswaythecritiquebecomesdivisive. FrancaValeriwould upon thewomenseentoembodyit,andnotsystem itself,inordertoarticulate themselves fromit.Inthisprocess,womenwhoarecriticalofthe‘beautymyth’focus the denigrationofwomenisinternalizedbythoseverywhowanttodistance measurements fromawoman’smagazine.Whatweseehereisanexampleofhow from (dir. Steno),usestheyoungandgulliblebeautyasafigureoffun.Amockingscene in hershow.Seeanextractathttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94u3wO-yR6Y [accessed12June2011]. The popularstand-upcomedian,,recentlymobilizedasimilarattackonthe‘velina’aspiration Emanuela Martini(Turin:Lindau,2000), p.68. ‘Il segnodiFranca:Intervistaconuna signoramoltosnob’,in p. 186. Maggie O’Neill, p. 11. Naomi Wolf, We canseetracesofhowthemanywomen,whofalloutsideidealizedand Piccola Posta The BeautyMyth:Howimagesofbeautyareusedagainstwomen Prostitution andFeminism:Towards aPoliticsofFeeling showsthegirlmeasuringhervitalstatistics,asshereadsideal 21 Ingainingpowerthroughtheirbeauty, Franca Valeri:Unasignoramoltosnob beauty trade-off 20 Althoughpolemical,her (Cambridge:PolityPress,2000), beauty trade-off Beauty Myth ‘WHORE-OCRACY’ (London:Vintage,1990), tosurviveinthe Piccola Posta through 23 : beauty , ed.by 419 22

Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies political andculturalhegemonyhascomemainlyfrom minoritariansectionsofthe explained byDanieleAlbertazziandNinaRothenburg: ‘oppositiontoBerlusconi’s what Ishallterm‘oppositionaldiscourse’tothe‘velina’. The‘opposition’isbest 24 his ex-wife,VeroniaLario. towards averypublicscapegoatingofanywomenwhocriticizehim,notleastall Italian press’sreluctancetorevealthefullextentofBerlusconi’scorruptionleads corruption relatingtoItaly’sPrimeMinister.Ofcourse,ashasbeenhighlighted,the displaces preoccupationwiththerealproblem:widespreadaccusationsofpolitical however, sincesuchscornoftenappearstoimplythatitistheywhoareatfault,and upon theyoungwomeninshowbusinessinvolvedscandalsdoesinterestme, underpins theshowgirlphenomenon, connoting pollution. a ‘beautycontest’. cliché, suddenlyfindsitselfinmoraloutragethatitsparliamenthasturnedinto Part ofacountrythathasrarelyquestioneditsdependencyonthe‘beautifulwomen’ into parliamentreturnusonceagaintothe‘othering’ofyoung,beautifulwomen. television channels,aswellescorts,andreportsofhisattemptstoputsomethem Magli declaredit‘l’ultimafrontieradell’annullamentodelfemminismo’. programme, to maketheoddjokeandsingoutoftune,asafeaturecomictelevision Vento appearedinaglasscage,undertable,fromwhichshewasallowedout nism’ isthenotorious‘donnaplexiglas’of2000.Twenty-twoyearold‘valletta’Flavia that recursinrecentsensationalismaboutthe‘velina’ascipherfor‘endoffemi- gramme Ambra Angiolini,oneofthenewadolescentdancerstoemergeontelevisionpro- In 1994left-wingfemalestudentsprotestedonInternationalWomen’sDayagainst context the‘velina’hasgainedincreasingsignificanceindebatesaboutfeminism. developed sinceherfirstappearancesonItaliantelevisioninthe1980s,andthat 29 28 27 26 25 documented bytheinternationalmedia,ifnotItalianpress. women, itsperversionofdemocracyisfinallydeemedimportant. fifty yearshasneverbeenwidelyrecognized:nowthatitinvolvespoliticalpowerfor beauty contestculturehaspotentiallybeenoppressingItalianwomenforthepast morally problematicwhentheyalsoinvolvepoliticalpowerforwomen.Thatthe 420 raccattate chissàdove echissàdachi,lachiama“velina ingrata”’:Gomez, ‘sbatte inprimapaginatrevecchiefotografie inbianconerodellagiovaneattriceVeronicaLarioasenonudo, Cinema andTelevision ‘Shop-soiled Women:TheFigureoftheProstituteinLate1950sBritish FilmCulture’, .] definewhatisandnot permissibleinasocietyatanygiventime’,seeMelanieBell-Williams, . symbols [. For discussionoftheprostituteasapollutionsymbolthatdrawsupon workofMaryDouglas:‘Pollution Senator PaoloGuzzantiininterviewthedocumentary Quoted inMorvillo,p.65. Infamously, whenLariocriticizedher husbandpublicallyin2009,thenewspaperclosetoBerlusconi, Peter Gomez,MarcoLilloand Travaglio, Morvillo, p.233. p. 282. Responses toBerlusconi’sprivateparties,whichheinvitesshowgirlsfromhis I willnotexaminetheBerlusconiscandalshere;theirtawdryrangehasbeenwell DANIELLE HIPKINS Non èlaRai Libero 25 , 3:2(2006),pp.266–83,(p.272). . Inthefurorethatensued,feministanthropologist,Ida Itisaquestionoffemalebodiestransgressingboundariesand 26 , whohadexpressedpublicsupportforBerlusconi.Anincident Therecanbenodoubtthatthebeautycontestculturestill 29 Unfortunatelyverysimilardiscursiveframingisusedby 27 butbeautycontestsare,allofasudden, Papi: unoscandalopolitico Le dameeilcavaliere et al. , (FrancoFracassi,2010). (Milan: Chiarelettere,2009), , p.151. 28 Thescornheaped Journal ofBritish 24

Libero , Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies reflexive middleclasses”’. population, generallyfromgroupsthehistorianPaulGinsborgreferredtoas“the 34 33 32 31 30 valid pointaboutCarfagna’shypocrisy,echoingRolland Munro’ssuggestionthat‘it Basta aprirel’internetpervederelesuegrazie’. who observedthat‘Lasignorahausatoilsuocorpo per arrivaredoveèarrivata. gered aprotestfromCarlaCorso,founderofthecommittee forprostitutes’rights, fenomeno, noncomprendochivendeilpropriocorpoper trarneprofitto’.Thistrig- moralizing glossonthelawaddedinsulttoinjury:‘comedonnamifaorrorequesto details ofthePrimeMinister’sownuseprostitutesemerged. ing newpenaltiesforstreetprostitutesandtheirclientsattheverymomentwhen autumn 2008byMaraCarfagna’sheavy-handedattemptstointroducealawinvolv- particular slippageoccursasareflex.Theassociationwasfurthercompoundedin work doesnotcomeintoMaraCarfagna’shistory,soalreadywecanseehowthis appointed MinisterforEqualOpportunitiesinMay2008.Yetthequestionofsex (ex-valletta fromRete4’s‘Domenicadelvillaggio’),turnedpolitician,whowas law graduate,formerbeautyshowcontestant,occasionaltoplessmodelandshowgirl from Berlusconi’sparty, the moretreacherous.PaoloGuzzanti,aright-wingsenatorwhohassinceresigned woman, makingitspolitical‘othering’ofwomen,andsubsequentpopularity,all The recentcoinageoftheterm‘mignottocrazia’arosewithreferencetoaspecific prostitutes ‘Mignottocrazia’ and‘Velinocrazia’—performers,politicians and earlier,towhichIwillreturninmyconclusion. which barelymasksananxietyaboutfemalespectatorshipthathasrootsinthe1950s the ‘velina’debateispopulartruismthatallyoungwomenaspiretobe‘veline’, strongly withthehistoricalbackgrounddescribedabove.Afinalimportantaspectto the beautytrade-off,andproblematicvisualrepresentations,allofwhichresonate key featuresofthisdebate:languagereferringtoprostitution,thesplittingwomen, traditional left-wingjournalistsanddocumentarymakers.Iwillexaminesomeofthe new mediaandmainstreamtraditionaltomakeitspoints,alongsidemore mainstream newspapers,orinpopularfeministpublications. academic, popular,andpartypoliticalfeministswithahighprofileontheinternet, of feministmassprotest’arisingsincetheG8meetinginGenova2001:journalistsand includes self-appointedrepresentativesofwhathasbeenidentifiedas‘anewtradition Berlusconi’s treatmentofwomenineverydaypracticeisconcerned,thisgroup Soffici, p.86. nel paesepiùmaschilistad’Europa multe (da200a3milaeuro)perleprostitute eperilcliente’,CaterinaSoffici, pur limitandoloailuoghipubblicioaperti alpubblico,efissal’arresto(dacinqueaquindicigiorni)pesanti ‘Un ddldaltitolo“Misurecontrola prostituzione” cheintroduceilreatodieserciziodellaprostituzione,sia of the‘velina’andherfemalespectators. In forthcomingworkIexplorehowpopular narrativefilmengagesinmorecomplexdiscoursesaboutthefigure Galletto, Berlusconi, 2001 Daniele AlbertazziandNinaRothenburg,introductionto et al. , p.197. – 6 , pp.1–16(p.10). 30 (Milan: Feltrinelli,2010),p.85. Whereoppositiontomediarepresentationand , wasreferringtotheriseofMaraCarfagna, Resisting theTide:CulturesofOppositionunder 34 Corso’scoyterminologymakesa 32 31 Ma ledonneno:comesivive Thisoppositionuses ‘WHORE-OCRACY’ 33 Carfagna’sclumsy 421 Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies ‘mignottocrazia’ thereemergedtheterm‘velinocrazia’or‘velinismo’, of anintellectualleft-wingminority. ences speakstothegreatconfusionaboutrepresentationofwomenonpart such montagesarecommonplace,buttheiruncriticalscreeningatacademicconfer- sequences juxtaposingcalendarshotsofCarfagnawithherstatements:ontheinternet from Carfagnaunleashedafloodofmisogyny,partlyintheforminternetmontage women whoresistedandbaddidnot. tion withfindingoutmore,whichhasturnedupondividingthosewomenintogood women toflirtandhave,allegedly,paidsexwith.Thishastriggeredapreoccupa- events organizedtoflatterBerlusconi’segobyprovidinghimwithmanyyoung private partiesattheprimeminister’shomesPalazzoGrazioliandVillaCertosa— conflicting accounts)hasaggravatedconfusionaboutthewomenattending reported second-handandthen‘archived’byjudgesundersuddennewlaws, little politicaltraining.Acloudofobscurity(recordedtelephoneconversations candidates fortheEuropeanparliamentwomenoriginatinginshowbusinesswith strength fromBerlusconi’slargelyunsuccessfulattemptin2009toputforwardas 37 36 35 other’. .]whohelpsusdenyourowneverydaycommodification ofeach . is theprostitute[. 41 40 39 38 Sibilla Aleramo’swordsseparatinggoodworkinggirlsfrom therest. get tothecruxofmatter:sexworkisnotregarded aswork,takingusbackto sono soprattuttoescortelamoscabiancaseituchelavori c’erano deputate,attrici,manager.Insommapersoneconunaprofessione. of thepartiesatPalazzoGraziolireflectapopularviewescort:‘Leprimevolte with theterm‘escort’. of theshowgirlswhoattendedpartieshavebecomeevenmorecloselyentangled largely constitutedbytheirinvolvementinanysexscandals. open about:inherbookMorvilloconfessesthatthenewsworthinessof‘veline’is as Morvillo(sheiscurrentlydirectorofthegossipmagazine dals, andincreasedreadershipthatjournalistsinvolvedinmorepopularpress,such here thatleft-wingnewspapersalsorecycletheassociationbetween‘velina’,sexscan- known asRubygate,intheleft-wing tionalism hasbeenevidentinthereportingofrecentunderageprostitutionscandal 422 See thearticlein represented asreallylovingtheman,p.31. with whomBerlusconihadanaffairin2003,isrepresentedasagoodgirl, rejectinghisoffersofmoneyand Gomez etal.moralizeaboutwomeninvolvedwithBerlusconi.Virginia SanjustdeTeulada,forexample, it/2009/04/29/velinismo-politico-e-mignottocrazia.html [accessed9May2011]. See GadLerner’sblogentryof29April2009:‘“Velinismo”politicoemignottocrazia’, http://www.gadlerner. Quoted inO’Neill,p.145. Interviewed for .]“utilizzatorefinale”invecediclienti)’, p.13. . cose pernasconderlemeglio(“escort” invecediprostitute[. cushion theimpactofword‘prostituta’. SeeGomez This terminitselfcausedcontroversy, viewedasaforeignimportwordemployedbytheBerlusconicampto Morvillo, p.229. confessioni delleragazzediArcore’,18 March2011,pp.20–21,followingfromthefrontpage. includes moralizingcommentaryandaphotographofeachgirl,PieroColaprico andEmilioRandacio,‘Le et al.,p.116. Slippage intermsbecomesmoreacutewhenweconsiderthatalongsidetheterm 35 DANIELLE HIPKINS Farfrombeingreadinthiskey,however,aseriesofproblematiccomments L’Unità La Repubblica , 23april2009in‘Ilsegnodellafarfalla’ byConcitaDeGregorio,quotedinGomez 40 Thewordsofayounglegalprosecutorwhoattendedsome reportingonthetapedphoneconversationssurroundingRubygate,which La Repubblica et al. whodiscussTG1inwhich‘cambiano nomealle , aselsewhere. 37 Thiskindofmoralizingsensa- ’ (myemphasis). 39 Theresultisthatmany Novella 2000 38 Thereisnodoubt 36 41 ) aremore drawing Herewe Adesso Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies alternativi ai Il CorpodelleDonne categories occasionallyincludesZanardo’sown.Zanardodescribeshow‘sulblogde one another. on Italiantelevision, own popularinternet-baseddocumentaryabouttheobjectificationofwomen’sbodies of the‘veline’themselves. stated thathercritiqueofItaliantelevisionisnotintendedasamoralcondemnation action sucharesponseishardlysurprising.PopularactivistLorellaZanardohas we examinemorecloselythelanguageassociatedwithsomeoftheserecentcallsfor ambivalently bythosewhosawitasprotestagainstotherwomenofallkinds. treatment ofwomeninasupposedlyinclusivefashion,wasrejectedorgreeted the women’sprotestgroup The resultofthisdivisionisthatamassmarch,organizedon13 ‘Other women’versus‘real 47 46 45 44 43 42 ‘la diciottenneNoemicheconlasuagraziagentileèun clone indistinguibiledellesue the centreofascandalwhenheattendedhereighteenth birthday partyinApril2009: case ofNoemiLetizia,theNeapolitangirlwhocalledBerlusconi ‘Papi’andbecame generations ofwomenwiththepowertospeak(andjudge) whenshediscussesthe Repubblica might besummarilyejected. poor soulwhoaccidentallyslippedintohermorningritual offoundationandmascara asked womentojointhemarch,ending:‘emostriamonude, lenostrefacce’,asifany called forparticipationinthemarchon13 itself atitsmostvirulentinthevideo,frontedbyactressAngelaFinocchiaro,that can signifygreaterorlesserhonestyaccordingtoitsdegreeofartifice.Thismanifests condemnation ofexcessivemake-up.AsforTertullian,themoralindexbeauty moralizing tonestakentowardscosmeticsurgerywitnessedaboveextendtothe who conformtocertainbodilyregimesaspartoftheirgenderperformance.The women donothaverealfaces,orbodiesoftheirown. Zanardo andSofficiunconsciouslyimplythat‘veline’orcosmeticallyoperated botulino’ (myitalics). reali italiana mostrasoloragazzebelleegiovani,odonnerifatte,icorpidi of whomhavehadplasticsurgery.InthewordsCaterinaSoffici:‘Latelevisione who appearonItaliantelevisionrepresentonlyyoung,attractive,slimwomen,some tion withthefemalefaceinmanyproteststhatrestsonfactmostwomen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zma-HI-yF3w [accessed 11/05/11]. Soffici, p.108. Zanardo, p.83. Zanardo, p.125. Zanardo, p.124. stilefemminile.it/melissa-p-litalia-non-e-un-paese-per-donne/, postedon7/2/11[accessed10Mat2011]. See PiaCovre,citedabove.also popular novelist,MelissaP.ininterviewwithEllySchlein,http://www. This moralizingattitudeappearsdesignedtoalienateawholeswatheofwomen sonooccultati,rimossiesostituiticonaltrimateriali,dinormailsilicone , NataliaAspesi,hintsataformofincomprehensionon thepartofolder 44 “non volti” Howeverthediscoursethatinsistentlydivideswomenintoseparate abbiamoinauguratounarubrica, 46 Il corpodelledonne Withtheiremphasison‘voltialternativi’and‘donnereali’ televisiviepubblicitari’(myitalics). 43 Se nonoraquando Indeedsheobservedwithhorrorhowinresponsetoher 47 Acommentfromestablishedjournalistfor , launchedin2009,womenturnedupon th , toprotestagainsttheprimeminister’s February.Inthisvideo,Finocchiaro Metterci lafaccia 45 Thereisapreoccupa- ‘WHORE-OCRACY’ th February2011by —volti donne 42 423 La If Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies many levels: newspaper, entitledprecisely:‘Lealtredonne’,whichspeakstothisdiscussionon women’, onto theprostitute,‘simply“endstop”indiscourseson“good”and“honest” the ‘fotoromanzo’.Itsrelationtoapanicaboutconsumption,anditsdisplacement of ‘allthesame’,ringsafamiliarbellifwelookbackto1950sandanxietiesabout young women’spracticesaroundthebody,tasteandconsumption,thisrhetoric 50 49 48 presunta ocagginecomeattrattiva’,inZanardo’swords, One oftheaspects‘velina’archetypeunderattack fromtheopposition:‘la paradigm The beautytrade-off:‘L’ocaggine’andthecircularityof‘Bellissima’ Given thefrequentassociationofprostitutionwithworkingclasswomen, shopping, meta coetanee, tutteconcapellibiondielisci,corpicinostretto,sorrisofisso,pazzeperlo 55 54 53 52 51 organizations. fallen’. mutually reinforcinganti-pillarsofthepresumeddepthstowhichItalianculturehas taste foracertaincontingency:‘theyfunctionintheproseofappalledas by theculturalelite)and‘velina’arebothmarkersofsupposedlylowlevels cinepanettone made toconformacceptablymiddleclasstastesandaspirations?Inhisblogonthe suggest)? Aboutthe‘difference’ofawholeclass(ofwomen)inItaly,whomustbe ety aboutworkingclassfemininity(andthe‘feminized’bodypolitic,asMarcuswould difficult toseesimilarissuesatstakehere.Istheanxietyabout‘veline’alsoananxi- of criticisms,particularlyfromindividuals,feministgroups, cry ‘Orabasta’,butalongsidemanysupportingsignatures,itdidtriggeraseries 424 10 May2011. ora-basta-firma-br-oltre-37mila-firme-perina-costa-dante-forte-1.266963, postedon5February2011,accessed ‘Siamo puttane,siamoantirazziste, siamo antifasciste!’http://www.unita.it/donne/dove-siete-donne-diciamo- In theirresponsetoDeGregorioonL’ tumblr.com, postedApril2011[accessed10May2011]. See AlanO’Leary,‘Scapegoatingthevelina:leftandbodyof woman’,athttp://holidaypictures. O’Neill, p.134. Concita DeGregorio,‘Lealtredonne’,appearedonthewebsiteof O’Neill, p.186. Natalia Aspesi,‘VeronicaeledonnealtempodelCavaliere’, Zanardo, p.28. (Lidia Cirillo,‘Alcuniconsiderazioni sul Rubygate’)[accessed10May2011]. resistance tothisotheringprocesshttp://quaderniviola.blogspot.com/2011/01/considerazioni-sul-rubygate.html A mainsiteforthelatter(www.lucciole.org) providesalinktofeministblog,whichexpressesgrowing di istruzione,cultura,consapevolezza,dignità. .]Ancoraunavolta,ilbaratrononèpolitico:culturale.Èl’assenz . a dalla suavirilità.[. infermiere afingeredifareiniezioniefarseledaunvecchiomiliardarioossessionato quanto unappartamentoinaffitto.Èperaverequestochepassanolenottitravestiteda firmate grandicomevalige,scarpediManoloBlanick[sic.],occhialigigantichecostano Osservo leragazzecheentranoedesconodallaQuestura,inquestigiorni:portanoborse DANIELLE HIPKINS 52 DeGregorio’sarticlewasaccompaniedbyanappealforsignatureswiththe 49 isevidentinarecentarticlebyConcitaDeGregorio,directorof AlanO’Learyastutelyconteststhatthispopularfilmgenre(despised 54 Il GrandeFratello Unità , perleioltreapapi,sicapisce’. ’s website,feministgroup La Repubblica 50 L’Unità 55 figliefemministe , 19January2011. isanotherfeatureofthe , 13May2009. 53 andprostitutes’rights 48 Thisdisdainfor expresstheslogan: 51 itisnot L’Unità

Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies il giococontinua,inRaiefuori’. ‘Alla fine,questesventuratesisentonostupideeingannate,cosìsenestannozitte of whysexualexploitationhasbecomeendemicwithintelevision;shecomments: consequences ofmakingwomenfeelstupidcanbetracedinMorvillo’saccount to pointout,citingthenumberofacademicallywell-qualified‘veline’. ‘l’ocaggine’, or‘bimboness’inthe‘velina’,butitisnotonlyfacet,sheatpains beauty trade-off.Morvillodedicatesachapterofherbooktothecultivation 62 61 60 59 58 57 56 tis”. Comeseilcorpofemminilefosseunamercedascaricare inappositicontainer’. grandi quantitativigratis”.Notarelasoavitàdell’espressione“grandigra- femminile enonhabisognodipagare2000europerunaragazza:potrebbeaverne Niccolo Ghedini,whodeclaredthat‘“Berlusconihagranderispettoperilmondo postfeminist’. lenges thebeautymyth,andtheirconfusionofgirlswomenis‘quintessentially to’. ragazza chesiavvicinaallaquarantina’,andas‘questadalfisicomozzafia- Evelina Manna,involvedintheRaifictionscandal, struggle becausetheyfightlikewithinthediscursiveframingoftheirsubjects. book byleft-wing word ‘bella’hasacheapbutirresistiblecurrencyintheItalianlanguage.In is alackofvocabularywithwhichtotalkaboutfemalebodiesandappearance:the effect. of class,regionalism,andgenderintersecttousethebeautytrade-offmaximum at theVenicefilmfestivalwasmarredbyamissedsubjunctive. responses toherwas Neapolitan mentionedabove.Oneofmanyexamplesthebeautytrade-offin This wasnevermoresothaninthecaseofNoemiLetizia,eighteenyearold opposition areunderminedbytheirownrecyclingofthesamesystemsignification. are expectedtobe.Yet,oftentheattacksonexploitationofwomenfrom they feelunabletodenounceexploitationforfearofappearingbethe‘oche’ exploitation, depictingthemasstupidmakesmorevulnerabletoit,because consequences ofthebeautytrade-off.Farfromprotectinggirlsandwomen oceaniche dicorpifemminili .]immortalano . theirs: ‘LefotoscattatedaZappaduaVillaCertosa [. Yet theystruggletomakeanydistinctioninquality between hisvocabularyand Gomez 2009), p.12. Diane Negra, Gomez the headofdramaforItalianstatetelevision, AgostinoSaccà,tofindjobsforhisfemalefriends. The Raifictionscandalrevolvedaround telephoneconversations,tapedin2007,whichBerlusconipestered [accessed 29June2011]. www.repubblica.it/2009/09/sezioni/spettacoli_e_cultura/cinema/venezia/noemi-lido/noemi-lido/noemi-lido.html Claudia Morgoglione,‘RessaperNoemiLetiziaallidoconmammaepapà’, Morvillo, p.230. Morvillo, p.34. A furtherintractableproblemwiththecriticismofdebatefromopposition 60 Oneunderstandstheneedfordescriptivevocabulary,buttheirshardlychal- et al et al. ., p.281. , p.68. What aGirlWants:Fantasizingthe Reclamation ofSelfinPostfeminism 61 FurthermoreGomezetal.attackthevocabularyofBelusconi’slawyer, L’Espresso La repubblica , o“grandiquantitativididonne”perdirlaconGhedini’, journalist,PeterGomez,andhiscolleagues,thewriters 57 Thisreluctancetotalkisoneofthemostserious newspaper’sintimationthatLetizia’sappearance 59 isdescribedas‘unabellissima La Repubblica ‘WHORE-OCRACY’ 58 Herediscourses (London:Routledge, 56 Theextreme , 10/09/09,http:// adunate 425 62

Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies ‘approach doesnotdistinguishbetweenlevelsofmeaning, and,infact,onlyever the ‘contentanalysis’approachcommonin1970s: asGillpointsout,suchan the embodimentoffemaleoppression,ratherthanits causes.Itisalsocloseto tional formofcritique,suchasthatemployedbyFranca Valeri,whichfocusesupon and adesiretocreatepolemic,Zanardo’smethodnonetheless activatesatradi- on display,althoughthatisnotherintent.Althoughclearly drivenbylackofbudget female humiliationthatsheusesappeartoattributestupidity tothefemaleobjects critique. Itperpetuatesavisualeconomyofobjectification, andthefragmentsof mentary hermontageofobjectifyingimageswomen isproblematicasaformof is onpromotingavitalmedialiteracy,‘nuoviocchiperlatelevisione’, women fortheirfailuretoreactItaliantelevision.AlthoughZanardo’semphasis written texttoaccompanythevideothisismoreinevidence,andsheharangues sion withlittleacknowledgementoftwentyyearsfeministcritique,althoughinher documentary hasnowbeenseenbythreeandahalfmillionpeople. after itspresentationonGadLerner’stelevisionprogramme objectification, thisvideodrewconsiderablesupportandattention,particularly butcher’s shop.Arallyingcrytowomennotletthemselvesbemanipulatedinto ceiling amongstaselectionofhams,andthecontestantattemptsto‘hook’it,asin a particularlydisturbingsequenceinwhichwoman’sbehindhangsfromthe ways inwhichbodiesofwomenhavebeenobjectifiedonItaliantelevision.Itincludes sensationalist montagesequenceaccompaniedbyherowncriticalvoice-overofthe Zanardo’s internet-launcheddocumentary, ‘velinismo’, namely constitutes oneoftheprincipalproblemswithsomedocumentaryresponsesto The attempttotranslatetheconceptofa‘grovigliodivoltieglutei’intovisual Problematic visualrepresentations cognomi’ .]riesconoadassociare . [. adding ‘Soloconunlavorodimosaicoigiornalistiepmcheinterroganoleragazze 66 65 64 63 di corpi,gambeeseniscoperti’. In Soffici’swords:‘l’immaginedelladonnaveicolatadallatelevisioneèunsusseguirs i carnal anonymity,invitingorpoliticallydangerous,dependingonone’sperspective. tune withthedominantdiscourseontopic,inwhichyouthfulfemalemassis part ina‘veline’audition.Throughrepetition,thisscenebecomesaniconicimage film doesnotgiveanyvoicetoanundifferentiatedmassofwrithingbodiestaking which ledtoarefusalonthepartofRaiandMediasetscreenitstrailers,Gandini’s apparire 426 http://www.ilcorpodelledonne.net/?page_id=1882, andherbook,pp.58–80. She haspromotedthevideoinschools andbookshopsaroundthecountry;alsosee‘Lezioniditelevisione’at La7, 4May2009. Soffici, p.108. Gomez In thedocumentary,Zanardopresentsherimportantanalysisofwomenintelevi- DANIELLE HIPKINS et al 63 (Gandini, 2009).FêtedforitsincisivecriticismoftheItaliangovernment, (myitalics). ., pp.249–50. Il corpodelledonne quel grovigliodivoltieglutei 64 ThislanguageshowstheinfluenceofLorella (Zanardo,2009)and Il corpodelledonne ad altrettantinomie L’infedele Videocracy , ashockingand 66 inthedocu- , 65 andthe — Basta

Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies image. approach emphasizestheneedfornuanceindefiningmeaningofsexualized suo corposulpubblicomaschileefemminile’. conosce lepotenzialitàdelsuofascinoecigiocaconleggerezza,fortepotere .]Beleninvece . cava indignazioneancheperilsuosguardosmarritoesottomesso[. ing readingofthedifferentstyles‘veline’:‘FlaviaVentosottoiltavolociprovo- since inablogpostsubsequentlypublishedherbook,shepresentsmoreinterest- addresses themanifestcontentofrepresentations’. 72 71 70 69 68 67 ently stupidfemalebodieshasactuallyexposedZanardo tocriticismfromtheright, be tiedupsolelywith‘Berlusconismo’.Whilstrecycling images offragmented,appar- the mistakeofletting‘velina’debateandobjectification ofwomenappearto feminist mediastudiescritique,Gandini,andtoacertain extentZanardo,havemade of femalebodiesspreadsacrossthepoliticalspectrum. Byfailingtoconnectwith ting itinsteadtoimagesfromtheleft-wingpress,pointing outthattheobjectification donna nellastampaprogressista’, objects. Theprogrammecreated‘Ilcorpodelledonne 2:Lamercificazionedella one oftheprogrammescondemnedbyZanardoforitsusewomenasdecorative therefore Berlusconi-controlled)televisioncriticalnewsprogramme with thecreationofananti-ZanardospoofcourtesyMediaset-owned(and Zanardo mightimply. sottomessi eumiliaticorpiesibitiinmodoattivo’isnotasstraightforward what is‘new’aboutthatsexism,andimpliesdistinguishingbetween‘corpi operations ofa‘newsexism’speakableonceagain,butGillisalsoabletorecognize and its‘esteticadiunostripclub’.IndeedGillseeks,likeZanardo,tomakethe This readingofGill’sisclosetoZanardo’sownItaliantelevisionculture objectification to‘subjectification’wouldalsobehelpful: performing womenthemselves.InthisrespectwhatGilldescribesasamovefrom by Zanardo’sfilm,whichmayaccountforthenumberofresponsesthatattack potential meaning,deservingfurtherinvestigation.Suchanopportunitywasmissed since Morvillo’saccountofthe‘velina’revealsphenomenontobeonerichin esibiti inmodoattivo’ pp. 61–71(p.65). http://www.striscialanotizia.mediaset.it/video/videoextra.shtml?12761 [accessed10May2011]. Gill, Zanardo, p.142. Rosalind Gill,‘SexismReloaded,or, it’stimetogetangryagain’in Zanardo, p.140. Rosalind Gill, The vulnerabilitiesofZanardo’soriginalcritiquehavecometotheforerecently to formanewdisciplinaryregime. exploitation thanobjectification—oneinwhichtheobjectifyingmalegazeisinternalized .]Iwouldarguethatitrepresentsahigherordeeperformof . practice arecentral.[. Radner hascalledanew‘technologyofsexiness’inwhichsexualknowledgeand feminist sensibility.ItrepresentsamodernizationoffemininitytoincludewhatHilary From sexobjecttodesiringsexualsubject:thisshiftiscrucialunderstandingthepost- Gender andtheMedia 69 ‘Chesianecessariofareundistinguotracorpisottomessieumiliati Gender andtheMedia 70 , p.258. issomethingZanardoshouldforegroundmorefrequently, (Cambridge:PolityPress,2006),p.44. 71 72 parodyingZanardo’scriticalvoiceover,andset- 68 Likemuchpostfeministanalysis,this 67 Zanardoherselfisawareofthis, Feminist MediaStudies ‘WHORE-OCRACY’ Striscia lanotizia , 11:1(2011), 427 , Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies Conclusion mass. media asananonymous,fragmented,possiblystupid, andcertainlyspeechless, interrogate fullythedeparturepointofhypervisibility oftheirbodiesintheItalian treacherous formofmediaforwomen’srepresentation,particularlywhenitfailsto spettacolo’ andthelanguageusedtotalkaboutthemmakesdocumentaryfilma In allthecasesdiscussedhere,visualtraditionsassociatedwith‘donnedi on displaywithatouchof‘incoscienza’: as acertain‘type’speakstodesireperpetuatetheconnectionoffemalebeauty female starandBerlusconi,butthedescriptionofhisvoyeuristicsearchforDeborah maintain adistancefromhissubjects,andavoidsmakingconnectionsbetweenthe porn filmindustry,whilstbringinguphernewbornbaby.Thedirectorattemptsto unfolds asherboyfriendfindsoutwhatshedoes,andattemptstobreakintothe phone-in forasmallprivatetelevisionchannel.Thedramaofthedocumentary situations. Oneofthemis20year-oldDeborah,whoworksasalivestripperon and love costume. AmoreinnovativeapproachisVittorioMoroni’sfilmdedicatedtowomen Montereale’s interviewisintercutwithimagesofherasbeautyqueeninaswimming June 2010.Thescreentimegiventothewomenspeakisrefreshing,atleastuntil outlawed asitwasbytheLeggeBavaglio,protectingPrimeMinister’sprivacy,in views, onereasonwhythefilmencounteredaseriousproblemwithdistribution, Palazzo Grazioliparties)topresenttheirstoriesinstraightforwardandlengthyinter- screen timetoPatriziaD’AddarioandBarbaraMontereale(twowomenattending sentation. Thefilm inevitably moresuccessfulindistancingthemselvesfromtraditionalformsofrepre- the impactofherfilm. object ofaverypointedpoliticalcounterattack,whichinitselfalsopaystributeto in thewakeofBerlusconisexscandals,suggestingthatshehasindeedbeen it isimportanttoobservethatthisattackonherfilmcametwoyearsafteritsrelease, 73 bodies inonewayoranother. Thisdivideisnotonethatthediscourseseemsable of ‘otherwomen’,whowear toomuchmake-up,havecosmeticsurgery,andselltheir reinforcing certainlong-standingstereotypesaboutthe‘velina’, andawholecategory problem: sexisminItalianculture,particularlytelevision. Howevertheyalsorisk ‘velinismo’ isoneinwhichverbalandvisualpractices raiseconsciousnessabouta The picturethatemergesfromthispreliminaryreview of oppositionalresponsesto 428 Dario Formisano, aicnaslaiadnr ch noapiid acea . . malinconia selvaticadentroocchiancoraprividimaschera. Deborah (inarteLaura),conquelsuofareinadeguatoeunpo’maldestrouna .]Oreeoredivisioniascoltifinchéunanotteèapparsa . delle televisionregionali.[. Deborah l’hocercatalanottefacendozapping—ecastingtraletelefonisteerotiche Those documentariesthatgiveanyspacetofemaleprotagonistsspeakare DANIELLE HIPKINS Eva eAdamo Intervista aVittorioMoroni Le dameeilcavaliere (2009),whichfeaturesthreewomenin‘extreme’romantic , p.10(inbookletsuppliedwiththe DVD). (FrancoFracassi,2010)givesadequate 73 Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies ‘veline’ inthisdebate(otherthantheright-wingpress)? to bridge,becauseitselitevoicesaretoohomogenous.Wheretheof other contexts,andnotsimplywhatmarksthemoutas (hopelessly)different. some ofthesolutionstotheirproblems,andseewhat theyhaveincommonwith postfeminist thoughtmightgiveItalianthinkerstheincentive tolookoutsideItalyfor dog Italy.Thetermpostfeministisusefulinthiscontext firstandforemost,because a lackofempiricalevidence,andfailuretolistencertainvoices,doesnotonly by participantsinthedebatewithinItalianculture,butitalsohighlightsfactthat Not onlydoesthiscommentseemtoreflectusefullyonthebinarypositionsassumed Onscenity: Sex,Commerce,MediaandTechnologyinContemporarySociety response intheUKisbestexpressedthroughwebsiteofresearchgroup subject ofmuchdebatethroughouttheWesternWorld.Theemergentscholarly specific andextremesituationinthecaseofItalyitstelevision,iscurrently often lookatthecountryanditspeoplewithincredulousperplexity’. profound detachmentbetweenthewiderpopularandculturedelites,whowould of thecountryandlackpoliticalcredibilityintellectualshavedetermineda described byAlbertazziandRothenberg:‘Thedeepsocialpoliticalfragmentation see there’. simply holdupamirrortosocialworldandpublishorbroadcastwhatthey theorized inmediastudiesas‘afundamentallyflawednotion:thatcommercial how reflectsadegradedItalianrealityisclearinstanceof‘thereflectionfallacy’ source ofspecialanxietyinthisregard’. from thisnationalaudience’:‘inparticular,inItalytheyoungfemaleaudienceisa to thetendencyof‘Italianintellectualsleft’‘viewthemselvesasseparate Catherine O’Rawehasarguedthatthereisagenderedandgenerationalconnotation sponge forthe‘evil’influenceofItaliantelevision? voices ofthemassfemaleaudiences,presumedinallthisdiscoursetobeapassive 80 79 78 77 76 75 74 United States,onthe‘rimozionedeivolti adulti’fromthemedia. Lorella Zanardoisalreadytakingsteps inthisdirectionwithaninternationalproject,whichincludesthe http://www.onscenity.org/sexualization/#blogf [accessed6June2011]. Albertazzi andRothenberg,p.9. pp. 176–77. Mary DouglasVavrus, Catherine O’Rawe,‘TheItalianSpectator andherCritics’, oggi offendeledonne uomini voglionocheledonnecontinuinoadavere’:MichelaMarzano, Michela Marzanoasks:‘Aforzadiidentificarsiconle ‘La 27aora’in‘Donnaoggettotelevisionemaconironia’, See forexampleChiaraMaffioletti’sinterviewwithSwedishFilippaLagerbäck, ‘valletta’fortheprogramme messy realitiesofhowgirlsarelivingtheirsexualitiesinspecificcontexts. themselves). Butwefeelstronglythatsuchbinarypositionsdolittletohelpusmapthe navigators ofsexualization(usuallywithlimitedornodatayoungpeople either fixgirlsasobjectifiedpassivevictimsofsexualizationoragenticsavvy sexual culturesand‘sexualization’.Wehaveseenatendencyinsomeofthedebatesto Despite extensivedebatethereisstillverylittlequalitativeresearchongirls’everyday Nonetheless, abroaderpanicaboutgirlsand‘sexualization’,whilstrootedinvery 77 Itisalsoasymptomofthetendencytowards‘incredulousperplexity’ (Milan:Mondadori,2010),p.67. Postfeminist News:Politicalwomenin mediaculture 76 Themoralpanicthatthetelevisionsome- fashion dolls The Italianist Corriere dellasera , sifinisceconl’introiettareilruolochegli 75 Inthecaseofcinema, Sii bellaestaizitta:perchél’Italiadi , 30:2(2010)282–86(p.283). 74 Moreover,wherearethe (NewYork:SUNYPress,2002), , 23April2011. ‘WHORE-OCRACY’ 79 78 : 80 The 429 Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Society for Italian Studies sense ofself’. it isthatwhat“outthere”gets“inhere”toreconstructourdeepestyearningsand ‘affective realm’,andtounderstandhowideologyoperatesthere,‘how celebration ofthe‘resistant’audience,butitrepresentsanattempttodelveinto the attempttounderstandpsychosocialrootsofproblemisnotanunqualified confidence, assertivefemalesexualityandpower’. rities routinelypresenttheirbodiesasobjectsofspectaclewhichindicatesuccess, display hasdevelopedmorepositiveconnotationsinaculturewhichfemaleceleb- of ‘subjectification’withanawarenessthat,foryoungerwomeninparticular,‘sexua l feminist camp,likeFeonaAttwood,arestrivingtoreconciletheexploitativeaspects is profoundlyand‘newly’sexistatbothastructuralrepresentationallevel. the toolswithwhichmainstreamcriticsinItalylaunchtheirattackonaculturethat address. Openingupdialoguewithpostfeministmediastudieswouldtherebysharpen these debatesinmuchItalianoppositionaldiscourse,andurgentlydemanding spectator andthe‘velina’orprostitutefigureherself,repeatedlytrampleduponin within Italyforre-engagementwiththeagencyandpleasuresofbothfemale di sentirsinecessarie,indispensabiliall’altro’. quel ruolodimadrie“seduttrici”chedàloroilpotere,ingranpartefantasmatico, problem, shesuggestedthat:‘ledonne,puremancipate,nonrinuncianofacilmentea the debateinItaly,LeaMelandri,canbereintegrated;responseto‘velina’ back intotheirunderstandingofthesituation. feminist writerslikeMichelaMarzano,tobringthefemalebodyanditspleasures analysis asaparticularformof‘newsexism’. culture hasevolvedintandemwiththegrowingforcesofneoliberalism,anddeserves forwardly pre-feministoranti-feministportrayals’. tations ofgenderatthecurrentmoment,whatma[kes]themdifferentfromstraight- up understandingaboutwhatis‘new,unique,anddistinctivemediarepresen- important contributionthatpostfeministtheorycouldmakeinthisdebateistoopen 85 84 83 82 81 430 Quoted inCampani,p.95. Gill, ‘SexismReloaded’,p.66. Gill, Zanardo, p.139;Marzano,121. Rosalind Gill,‘SexismReloaded’,p. 64. I suspectthatpostfeministtheoreticalapproacheswouldalsohelpZanardo,and Gender andtheMedia DANIELLE HIPKINS 84 Inthisrespectoneofthefeministthinkerswhohasbeensidelinedin , p.38. 85 Hercommentspeakstoapotential 82 Gillandothercriticsinthepost- 81 83 Theroleofthe‘velina’inItalian AsGillhasexplainedrecently,