Slutsky and Bitchin' | Did 'Girls from Ipanema' Season 2 empower females while simultaneously degrading them?
Bitchin': So, help me out here. I still don't know if the 'Coisa Mais Linda' (Girls from Ipanema) is a feminist show or not. On one hand, the four women leads are charismatic, bold and they have creative solutions to the systemic sexism and racism they face. But...
Slutsky: I know what you mean. They are very conventionally beautiful women in a drama.
Bitchin': I sort of expect that from mainstream shows because actors are usually beautiful people. I actually enjoy the fact that they flaunt their beauty and use it to get ahead. What I do have a problem with is how women's bodies are shot in the show. The camera seems to ogle them as much as the men on the show!
Slutsky: Hmmm. I'm not sure I agree. There is plenty of nudity -- male and female -- on the show. I don't think I've seen so many male buttocks depicted onscreen. I think your unease stems from the fact that sex is treated in a far more matter-of-fact way on the show. Adults enjoying sex freely is something that English-language US shows don't handle very well. They shoot sex scenes in a very particular way, and often shy away from showing full nudity, using pillows and furniture strategically. It is a very coy style compared to foreign language films and TV shows.
Bitchin': I'll give you that. Brazil's culture is far more open in terms of depicting adult relationships. But I think that it is also a patriarchal society, which colors how women are depicted on screen.
Slutsky: Did something, in particular, bother you?
Bitchin': Well, two scenes in particular. One is a flashback scene where Augusto is having sex with Ligia. They are in their honeymoon period. Augusto has to go to work but is also reluctant to leave Ligia. Just after sex, Ligia covers herself with a sheet. But Augusto pulls it down not once but three times while he is talking to her in bed. Each time, she readjusts the sheet, obviously uncomfortable with exposing herself.
Slutsky: I thought that bit was actually quite revelatory. She is uncomfortable and yet Augusto ignores it. Even though he hasn't started physically abusing her yet, he treats her body as his property. He wants it on view for him even if she is not particularly comfortable with it. It is a very subtle power play and domination that Augusto exerts over her. It's like he is telling her, "no, you can't cover up because your body is mine".
Bitchin': I never thought of it that way! That makes sense.
Slutsky: What's the other scene?
Bitchin': The one where Malu outwits the city councilman. When the councilman makes it obvious that he wants sex in return for permission to reopen the club on 'Ladies Night', Malu disappears into the bathroom to reappear dressed only in her lingerie. She plays the dominatrix to get him to take off his clothes and shut his eyes. Then, she quickly dresses before stealing his clothes. She threatens to send them to his wife if he doesn't give an order to open the club immediately.
Slutsky: Again context. There is no way she could have got him to drop his clothes unless she was semi-naked first. Two, the camera focuses on the councilman's face, not Malu while she is dressing again in a hurry to get out of the room. You only hear her voice telling him to keep his eyes shut. That itself should show that the camera doesn't linger on female bodies unless it serves the narrative in some way. Right?
Bitchin': Right. Ok, now I can wholeheartedly like the show! But it is a fine line which makes you think that a film or TV show can simultaneously be empowering and degrading to women.
Slutsky: But of course! Look on further than 'Xena the Warrior Princess', which is why when a TV show gets it right, it is a reason to celebrate.
Slutsky and Bitchin’ is a column that examines the highs and lows of pop culture and media from a feminist POV.