You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Connected Learning Alliance Logo
  • About Connected Learning
  • Who we are
  • Resources
  • Publications
  • Blog
  • Get Connected
July 18, 2016

Anything but Beautiful and Maidenlike: The Online Civic Engagement of Brazilian Women

Author

Carolina Rodeghiero
Categories: Digital Citizenship, Equity
Women protesting in Brazil

In 2010, we Brazilians elected our first female president. Dilma Rousseff was re-elected in 2014. Today, she awaits her impeachment trial by the Senate as Vice President Michel Temer assumes her duties.

Since Temer took over as interim president in mid-May, he has made unpopular decisions that are impacting the way people react to his new government. During his first days in office, Temer eliminated nine ministries, including the Ministry of Culture. He also put an end to the Union General Control, the institution responsible for overseeing and making transparent the government’s public accounts. And, he replaced all of Rousseff’s ministers with an entire team of white men. No women, no people of color, no major Brazilian population are represented in the highest and most powerful political positions in the country. When he eliminated MinC, protests led by famous artists and leaders connected to the cultural institutions in Brazil, launched online and in the streets, and the MinC was reinstalled.

Most Brazilians — 62% — want an election right away to select their president. Rousseff supporters from the left party, called “Mulheres pela democracia” (Women for democracy), “Mulheres contra o golpe” (Women against the coup”), “Mulheres com Dilma” (“Women with Dilma”) and “#FicaQuerida” (#StayDear), began protesting even before Rousseff was suspended. The protest campaign gained engagement in a nonpartisan way during the first weeks of the impeachment process, when a magazine in Brazil published an article about Temer’s wife, Marcela, calling her, right in the headline, “Bela, recatada e do lar,” which means beautiful, maidenlike and a housewife. The article describes Marcela as a perfect future First Lady, who was 19 when she went on her first date with Michel Temer, 62 at that time, and who now spends her days taking care of their house and son. The article also emphasizes her beauty, saying that she won beauty pageants and attended law school although she never worked. The majority of women online found the magazine piece sexist and denounced the way it described Marcela as an example of how a woman should behave to be considered a good example for society. Knowing that our president is a woman who is the complete opposite of Temer’s wife, it’s not a surprise that the story caused so much outrage.

various Instagram protest picturesMore than 100,000 pictures have been posted on social media sites, including Instagram, following the magazine publication. The photos, tagged with the hashtag #belarecatadaedolar, are being posted by women of all ages, posing for pictures showing the opposite of what the article described as ideal. These women are publishing pictures of themselves drinking, wearing all types of clothing, being sexy and hard working. With a lot of humor, the movement has become strong enough to make people from all political sides join. Even famous brands and people are using the hashtag and contextualizing it to their product as a marketing campaign on social media.

The hashtag resonated so symbolical, that it opened space for related pro-feminist events and rallies. The pro-Rousseff groups use it to rally support for the suspended president and to call for her return. These groups are getting stronger with non-partisan voters joining the cause, especially because of the all-male Temer government. Even the female national deputies use social media to express their outrage.

On Facebook, many women are in favor of the magazine’s message about beauty and discrete behavior, justifying Christian values, and posted photos of home-making situations such as cooking, but without the funny protesting tone. The article impact was a full plate for feminists, but also fun for teens and women without political opinions. Men also participated, some of them praising Michel Temer for the beautiful wife, comparing her to Rousseff and campaigning against the suspended president. Others defended the outraged women. Despite that, with the pseudo-journalistic article published by a vehicle that is already known in Brazil for being elitist, the reaction to its report caused a social media movement that is taking the impeachment discussion to another level.

People are using #belarecatadaedolar as an online and offline identity for feminist engagement and as one more cause to justify the impeachment process as a mistake for the country’s progress. Being “beautiful, maidenlike and a housewife” is not enough for Brazilian women, who are taking the hashtag to the streets and online, engaging other women and fighting for equal rights. What we realize now is that the interim government, with its denial to allow women a strong voice, has propelled women to speak for themselves, touting feminist ideals. If women today don’t have a voice as president or as ministers, it won’t stop them from screaming for their rights. People are still protesting and occupying government buildings all over the country. Men and women are protesting for the same reason: “You gave us back the Ministry of Culture, now it’s time for you to give us back our country!”

Banner image credit: Midia Ninja

Related Posts

December 12, 2022 ConnectedLib Toolkit 2.0: Bringing Connected Learning to Small and Rural Libraries

A young Black boy with glasses types and sits in front of a large computer monitor.

November 1, 2022 Education During COVID: The Voice Of Teachers Across Canada and the US

A ripped sign reads in large red capital letters: you are under surveillance

October 25, 2022 Getting Over Privacy: Surveillance Studies and Edtech

Categories

  • Civic Engagement
  • Connected Learning
  • Critical Perspectives
  • Digital Citizenship
  • Digital Learning
  • Edtech
  • Educational Practice
  • Equity
  • Featured
  • HX
  • New Trends
  • Research
  • Youth Well-Being

Blog Archive

  • 2023
    • 2022
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020
      • December 2020
    • 2019
      • January 2019
      • February 2019
      • March 2019
      • April 2019
      • May 2019
      • June 2019
      • July 2019
      • August 2019
      • September 2019
      • October 2019
      • November 2019
      • December 2019
    • 2018
      • January 2018
      • February 2018
      • March 2018
      • April 2018
      • May 2018
      • June 2018
      • July 2018
      • August 2018
      • September 2018
      • October 2018
      • November 2018
      • December 2018
    • 2017
      • January 2017
      • February 2017
      • March 2017
      • April 2017
      • May 2017
      • June 2017
      • July 2017
      • August 2017
      • September 2017
      • October 2017
      • November 2017
      • December 2017
    • 2016
      • January 2016
      • February 2016
      • March 2016
      • April 2016
      • May 2016
      • June 2016
      • July 2016
      • August 2016
      • September 2016
      • October 2016
      • November 2016
      • December 2016
    • 2015
      • January 2015
      • February 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015
      • May 2015
      • June 2015
      • July 2015
      • August 2015
      • September 2015
      • October 2015
      • November 2015
      • December 2015
    • 2014
      • January 2014
      • February 2014
      • March 2014
      • April 2014
      • May 2014
      • June 2014
      • July 2014
      • August 2014
      • September 2014
      • October 2014
      • November 2014
      • December 2014
    • 2013
      • January 2013
      • February 2013
      • March 2013
      • April 2013
      • May 2013
      • June 2013
      • July 2013
      • August 2013
      • September 2013
      • October 2013
      • November 2013
      • December 2013
    • 2012
      • January 2012
      • February 2012
      • March 2012
      • April 2012
      • May 2012
      • June 2012
      • July 2012
      • August 2012
      • September 2012
      • October 2012
      • November 2012
      • December 2012
    • 2011
      • January 2011
      • February 2011
      • March 2011
      • April 2011
      • May 2011
      • June 2011
      • July 2011
      • August 2011
      • September 2011
      • October 2011
      • November 2011
      • December 2011
    • 2010
      • January 2010
      • February 2010
      • March 2010
      • April 2010
      • May 2010
      • June 2010
      • July 2010
      • August 2010
      • September 2010
      • October 2010
      • November 2010
      • December 2010
    • 2009
      • October 2009
      • November 2009
      • December 2009

    Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news and information.

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    • Connected Learning in Teaching Practice
    • Connected Learning Research Network
    • Connected Learning in Libraries
    • Connected Educators
    • Connected Courses
    • Connected Civics
    • Institute of Play

    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Work With Us
    • Media
    • Write for Us
    • People
    • Newsletter
    • CLRN
    • CL Summit
    • CL Lab