In 2013, when I started studying and understanding more about feminism, one of the first things I learned was that representation matters. That's why at the time I created Atena Haus, an online content platform to encourage female protagonism, based on three pillars: sharing knowledge, facilitating connection between a network of women so they can collaborate on professional projects and giving visibility to women with incredible trajectories that could serve as an example and stimulus for others.
My first contact was with liberal feminism, through the book Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg. She said how important it is to have women in leadership roles, not only so that decisions can be made that take women's specific needs into account, but also so that girls and other women can look at successful female leaders and see themselves there too. .
Afterwards, listening and reading other points of view, I understood intersectional feminism, which introduces aspects of race and class, in addition to gender, to social discussions. This learning further deepened my understanding of the importance of representation for women who are even less present in spaces of power and in the media.
Of course (and thankfully) there are pioneering people, for whom only dreams and imagination are enough to conquer spaces, paving the way for those who come after. However, looking at a desired position and seeing that other people similar to us, with the same background, the same conditions and the same characteristics, have already been there, reinforces our belief that it is possible and gives us more courage to move forward.
That's why I was moved by the power and importance of Madonna's performance in Copacabana last Saturday, which summarized the story of her 40-year career in approximately two hours. She was and still is one of those pioneers, who has always broken barriers and expanded the limits of what is expected and permitted for women, both in the cultural industry and in society in general.
But she goes beyond what it means to be a woman in our time and expands her questions about the inferiorization of codes associated with the feminine, thus embracing the LGBTQIAP+ community. Madonna uses her voice – you can find wonderful speeches on the internet in which she takes a stand and explains her motivations – but she also acts and, as an artist, she does so fearlessly and beautifully, incorporating codes full of references into her presentation.
In Saturday's show, everything was thought out and well tied together to amplify his position in relation to themes that have always been relevant in his history: he shed light on the people next to him on stage: dancers, musicians and other black, Latin, trans, gays and, of course, unsubmissive women like her, aka Anitta, paid homage in the content of the screens to progressive Brazilian personalities linked to human rights, education and environmental defense, and remembered artists killed by AIDS, many of whom were her friends, in a a time when the disease was prejudiced against gays. Aware and ahead of her time, in 1989, she included in her album “Like a Prayer”, an educational booklet explaining that the disease could affect anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, age and color and showed how to protect yourself.
The stories told through moments of drama throughout the show portrayed, as described by her at the beginning of the presentation, intimate moments and secrets that were written in her diaries and that would be shared there with the public, going through rejection at the beginning of her career. , troubles, episodes of conflict with the law, violence, injustice, and, of course, fetishes, desires, lots of fun, glamor and glory.
The music, the reason why it gained the spotlight and why so many people were gathered there, was highlighted and elevated to another level by the narrative enriched by the meaningful costume – with emphasis on the moment when he wore the Brazil shirt alongside Pabllo Vittar – and for the choreography of herself and the dancers, which incorporated impactful moments into small, well-thought-out gestures, which within the grand context may have gone unnoticed, but were there.
I personally really question shows these days that involve a lot of pyrotechnics and special effects, most of the time meaningless and used to divert the focus from the bad music and the artist's lack of content. However, Madonna does the opposite of this and, masterfully, sews every detail to enhance her music, the story she wants to tell and, above all, the messages she wants to convey.
The importance of having a presentation like this in our country after a period of regression in thinking and loss of social rights and freedom, mainly by groups with little space in positions of power and victims of prejudice and violence, is immeasurable.
For me, as a 40-year-old woman, it is even more exciting to see a 65-year-old artist, at the height of her energy, telling us that, yes, we women can explore our desires, our sexuality, continue creating, producing and materializing incredible projects. and significant, with an impact on the construction of a better and more egalitarian world, even in an age group in which our usefulness is questioned by a society that is still so sexist. Representation matters and I felt very well represented and motivated by Madonna after this show.
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