Monday, September 3, 2018
Celia and the Treatment of Women
As we begin diving into representation and identity, I am able to relate the treatment of women as described in Dr. Acosta-Alzuru's article, "Fraught with contradictions: The production, depiction, and consumption of women in a Venezuelan telenovela" to Celia. Celia is the telenovela depicting the life of music legend Celia Cruz. Throughout the first two episodes, women were objectified, domesticated and appeared to not have a say in matters. For example, it is Celia's father, Simon, who makes the decision that she cannot become a singer and must stay on the path to become a teacher – even though her mother does not view singing as an inappropriate profession. Furthermore, Simon makes the notion that singing is not what a "classy woman" does which further objectifies and sexualizes other women in the profession. As discussed in Dr. Acosta-Alzuru's articles, this behavior emphasizes the need to domesticate women and reducing them to objects meant to clean and stay quiet. Even more so, we Simon continuing to objectify women as he carries on an affair with a cabaret singer who is everything he does not want Celia to be which makes the viewer (especially female viewers) question, why are you with her? Simon shows that although he deems the showgirls and cabaret singers as unclassy, they are still good enough for him to sexualize and use as objects. Although the referenced article discusses this idea of the representation of women in Venezuela, it mirrors the same treatment that Celia and other women face in Cuba. As I continue into episode three and beyond, I am interested to see how Celia breaks free of her father, and other men's, hold on her life.
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Lyndsey,
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed reading about your telenovela and the parallels between it and the article we read for class. I think that the treatment of women is a very prominent theme throughout telenovelas, whether that treatment is good or bad. I think that the status of women is a good reflection of a country's economy and overall well being, and I am interested in watching this theme play forth in my own telenovela.
Hi Lyndsey!
ReplyDeleteI've watched the first few episodes of Celia as well, almost picking it as the telenovela I would watch this semester. I think you picked out one of the prevalent themes throughout the series. Celia's father is constantly holding her back from singing and seemingly not caring at all about what Celia's mother thinks of the situation. I think that her father will continue to pose an obstacle to Celia throughout the remainder of the series, possibly being used by her jealous sister as a means to prevent Celia from singing. I like how you pointed out the effects of Celia's treatment in society as a whole. Celia provides a solid example of the treatment of women in society in the 1950's and times even before that. The only feasible way she could break free from her father's control would be to marry, or somehow find a reputable job to support herself. However, both of these represent the same problems. If she gets married, by societal norms she will be under the control of her husband. On the other hand, it will be difficult for her to find a reputable job in a male dominated society. In some moments of the episodes, it seems like Celia has to be careful with who she's around or what she's doing, for fear of damaging her reputation. I believe this adds to your argument about the mistreatment of women. Clearly, singing is something Celia cares a lot about and I am curious to see how she will break through the societal norms that are holding her back.