Politics schmolitics

Although he may appear to be walking a political tightrope — from which, as the polls continue to show, he never puts a foot wrong – Silvio Berlusconi is not reluctant to admit that he views women, whether they be ladies of the night or government ministers, as potential conquests. "I have never paid women, because I don't understand what satisfaction there would be without the pleasure of the chase," he told the press in response to the allegations from Patrizia D’Addario — a show girl who recently claimed that she had spent the night with the Italian head of state in late 2008, when Barack Obama was being elected to the White House. A few weeks ago, at the height of the silly season, it was time to raise the subject again: "The newspapers are always saying that I hate women. If there is one thing I do enjoy, it's the company of women — even women ministers."

"Papigate" and the ongoing controversy surrounding Berlusconi's sexual mores is only the tip of the iceberg — a symptom of an underlying anthropological and cultural malaise described by the documentary makers Erik Gandini ("Videocracy") and Lorella Zanardo and Marco Malfi ChindemiIl Corpo delle donneWomen Bodies"). For years, Italy has been bombarded with "obsessively vulgar" images of women with "silicon lips and breasts," who are presented as objects for adulation or ridicule — and anyone who dares to criticize this type of diversion is dismissed as a prudish and sexually unfulfilled complainer.

Veline, meteorine, letterine: unlikely professions for future politicians

It is worth wondering how Italian women put up with this state of affairs. What has happened to the spirit of their compatriots who fought in the Italian resistance — women like communist Nilde Iotti, who became the first woman speaker in the Italian parliament, or journalist and writer Tina Merlin? Sadly, the legacy of these figures is increasingly ignored in a modern Italy, which is focused on television bimbos and an array of socio-professional designations — such as Veline, meteorine, letterine and letteronze — that do not exist anywhere else in the world. Even more surprisingly, celebrity achieved as a showgirl is not always short-lived, but may — given the addition of a little style coaching — lead to a career in mainstream politics.

The story of the current Minister for Equality of Opportunity, Mara Carfagna, is the best known example of this kind of ascension. A former topless model, she is now a vocal proponent of the "trinity" of values — " God, homeland, and family" — and wont to remind voters that "Rome was the cradle of Christianity." MEP Barbara Matera is another case in point. Born in 1981, she first rose to prominence as a B-movie actress, RAI television presenter, and regional finalist in the Miss Italy beauty contest — achievements which are not listed in the rather sparse entry devoted to her on the EU parliament website. However, it should be noted that the alluring 28-year-old has been working hard to obtain skills that could prove useful in Brussels and will shortly graduate from university, once she has presented "her thesis on education reform in Italy." Finally, no description of this line-up would be complete without mentioning Francesca Pascale, the onetime presenter of Telecafone ("Rude-TV") who has been famously quoted as saying: "When the knickers go down, the ratings shoot up." Pascale was also the organizer of the "Silvio, we miss you!" campaign in support of Il Cavaliere when he was in opposition. Today, she works as a municipal councillor in Naples, and for the press office of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage.

Feminists are unable to make themselves heard

It is tempting to wonder if the growing phenomenon of cover-girl politicians could spark a revolt among Italian voters. What has become of the real women who are notably absent from this media circus? Where are the feminists? How can they possibly accept a society where politics has been invaded by sexist television? In the wake of a call to arms published by political scientist Nadia Urbinati in the pages of the daily L'Unità— "We must rebuild from the ground up. Women are calling for change, and preparing to launch a campaign that is not outmoded, but wholly new in the current context. We cannot let apathy prevail. We need a new beginning!" — and appeals from female writers, actresses and university teachers (most recently Chiara Volpato's opinion piece in theNew York Times on 26 August) — the debate has been relaunched, but not renewed. Given the extent of the problem, it is by no means certain that the initiative will not become lost in a welter of conferences, campaigns and counter campaigns, which will ultimately deprive it of any impact.

However, that is not to say that there are no feminists in Italy. On the contrary, there are large numbers of feminist groups, but they are mostly unable to make themselves heard — and those that succeed in attracting attention are unable to rally support from the younger generation. The movement has to contend with a number of problems, not only do feminists lack appropriate meeting places — with the exception the International Women's Centre in Rome — but they need a more pragmatic approach to politics. It is not enough to simply publicize individual representatives, they must mobilize and recruit new members — and this can hopefully be achieved by combining traditional canvassing with more modern techniques that make use of social networks. In short Italy's feminists will have to come up with answer. To paraphrase the famous quote attributed to Kissinger, they should now be asking: "Who do you call when you want to get in touch with the women's movement?"

Giulia Lasagni