(The following article was written by the students of a second level of the G.B. Grassi scientific high school in Latina, within the school training project “Papillon, writing in a blog” relating to the accademic year 2022/2023 )
We apparently experience gender equality. Culturally not yet.
A few days ago our Italian teacher proposed us the documentary: THE BODY OF WOMEN
by Lorella Zanardo, thus making us reflect on the role of the female figure on TV. Every day,
in programs and advertisements are offered where, too often, women appear as simple
bodies whose only function is to attract male attention, as if the deepest reality of the female
should absolutely not to emerge. Think, for example, of the Libero program by Teo
Mammuccari, aired starting from 2000, where the young Flavia Vento was heavily mocked
by the conductor in front of millions of spectators while she was locked up, every evening, in
a Plexiglas cage under a table. Faced with the numerous criticisms of the press and public
opinion, the conductor at the time replied << I don’t understand the reason for all these controversies: the girl is a living sculpture and in the cage she also has holes to breathe! >>
<< Watching this documentary – says Maria Vittoria – we discovered aspects of a TV that we live daily and of which we were not aware. At times I had thought that the figure of the woman was only a “decoration” but now I am sure. It is a violent thing and furthermore this false image that is proposed threatens to embarrass all the “not perfect” women who watch these programs. And then …. what happens to women who “play” an unreal, fake role, perhaps losing parts of their own internal reality over time? Will they continue to know who I am? >>.
I think that women are a wealth- Sara continues- and reducing them to a simple tool to
invoice and attract attention is shameful. Why we have to look stupid I don’t understand! We
should always remember that we don’t have only the body! >>
<< But it’s the males who want to see us like this! – Melissa replies- After all, they are the ones who have the most power on TV. >>
Yet we talk a lot about gender equality, we even discuss the use of genders in the
professions (councilor, mayor, etc.), but the image of women and their real possibility of
being to us still seems a difficult achievement.
Giulia, in fact, underlines that << all over the world women are fighting for their rights, let’s think about the revolt in Iran these days, but in Italy I still don’t see a real rebellion, especially of women who accept to “sell themselves “On TV >>.
<< In my opinion, however, women on television are not mere bodies- says Gianmarco-
Sometimes it happens but there are also situations in which they make a difference, they
give more personality to the program by giving voice to all those women who may remain in
the shadows >>
<< Can I show my point of view as a boy? – Davide asks- Honestly, as a male the presence of these women who are treated as objects does not attract my attention, but, on the contrary, convinces me to change the channel, even if what I’m seeing interests me a lot. In everyday reality, however, this is not the case. In my opinion, there are few guys who see girls as mere bodies. There are many more who try to confront each other, despite fears and shyness >>.
But then the question that arises spontaneously is: Why does the dominant culture still try to
offer us this female image? Why can women be free to undress but not to be?
Giulia Alonzo
Sara Clemente
Gianmarco Franzini
Melissa Lodato
Davide Mascari
Maria Vittoria Straface
Classe 2^i, Liceo Scientifico G.B. Grassi di Latina
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