THE POSTER AS AN INSTRUMENT IN GENDER STUDIES
MARTA SEIJAS ESAD.CR 2020
THE REPRESENTATION OF THE FEMALE ROLE IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR POSTER.
"Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only the relations of men to women, but the relation of women to themselves." - John Berger
"What are other women really thinking, feeling, experiencing, when they slip away from the gaze and culture of men?" - Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth
PRESET ROLES & STEREOTYPES SET BY THE MALE GAZE
"Propaganda, as a communicative mode, is a form of intentional communication, whose objective is the indoctrination or ideological manipulation of the recipient." - Eguizábal, R. Teoría de la publicidad
"Propaganda is the expression of an opinion or action by individuals or groups, deliberately aimed at influencing the opinions or actions of other individuals or groups for predetermined ends and by means of psychological manipulation." - Edwards, V. 1938
WHAT IS PROPAGANDA?
HOW WERE WOMEN REPRESENTED BY THE TWO POLITICAL SIDES? REPUBLICANS & NATIONALIST
How were they represented physically?
young
thin strong
beutiful weak soldier wife What roles did they have in society?
nurse
worker mother
victim
sweet
01
02
Throughout
history,
graphic
design has been used in politics time after time. We can see this demonstrated
clearly
in
the
periods with political turmoil, with the war posters and propaganda.
While
the
wars
where
being
fought on the battlefield, graphic designers
were
using
communication to fight another type of war. The propaganda battle could help change the course of any war due to its ability to either mobilize and encourage or
demoralize
its
target
audiences.
Propaganda could be defined as an organized diffusion of a mass message
with
persuading
the public
intent
of
opinion,
involving the intent to reinforce or change
people’s
beliefs
and
behaviors with the dissemination of
facts,
arguments,
half-truths or lies.
rumors,
03
During the Spanish civil war, both
On one hand, the republican side
sides
used
graphic
design,
promoted the idea of change and
posters
and
progress, trying to leave behind
their
outdated values, such as the
specifically pamphlets,
to
amplify
minuscule role of the woman in
message.
the social and political life. I would like to research the unique power that design had on
But
the
the
nationalist, showed they wanted to
woman’s role in the Spanish civil
continue with those old values that
war and how it varied from one
were the essence of the Spain
political side to another. The way
they wanted, such as religion,
they were represented shows us
monarchy, a patriarchal society,
the difference in ideology of both
and the traditional family.
representation
of
the
subversive
side,
the
sides, how the viewed and valued females, and how the outcome of
For context the war began in
the war shaped society's view on
1936 after losing the election, the
women.
military
and
conservative against
the facets
the
most revolted
republican
government trying to win control of the country, they failed in their attempt
of
control
started a civil war.
but
they
04
To understand the significant shift
Little
by
little
and
throughout
that women had during the years
hardship
of the Spanish civil war, we need to
discrimination women began to
understand the historical setting
protest for their rights, creating
right before and during this time.
feminist
and
fighting
organizations
and
assemblies. Before the war, during the first years of the XX century, women
With the proclamation of the
were out of the political, social,
second republic (1931) these
cultural, and work life. Women
groups were consolidated and
were made to depend on men,
moved
they were not to receive an
movement, women were freer
education or work that left them
than they had ever been. And
isolated with the only task they
these ideas carried on with the
were allowed to do, stay at home
republican side and how they
and take care of the domestic
used the female figure on their
duties.
graphics.
forward
the
feminist
05
When
talking
about
the
The Republican side generated
representation of women, there
important
are many different aspects we
renovated iconographic image
can distinguish. For example how
and representation of women,
women were viewed as a part of
from their perspective they were
society and what role they had in
able to elevate the female figure
it. And in correlation to that how
thanks to the messages that were
their appearance and physical
broadcasted on their posters.
attributes varied.
Some
of
contributions
the
on
types
a
of
representations of we can find As
a
general
rule,
most
are:
representations of the female appearance
in
these
posters
were depicted as young and slim. Then depending on the role they had in society, they had more particular characteristics on top of
those.
Within
the
field
of
healthcare, and as a wife and a mother
they
looked
beautiful,
tender, and sweet, taking care of the man. There were also two opposing
positions,
strong
women as soldiers and weak
PARRILLA ¡ (1938)
women as victims.
PARRILLA · (1937)
MEZQUITA · (1936-1939)
ANÓNIMO · (1937)
ARTECHE, C · (1936)
06
07
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Nationalist
were
fighting
to
dismantle everything the Republic had
achieved,
that
included
women rights hence why the posters of the national side were aimed
at
perpetuating
those
traditional conservative values, portray
the
image
of
a
purpose of taking care of the house and the children.
ANÓNIMO · (1937)
submissive woman, with the sole
So that's why we can only see representations of women in the role of the wife and mother and
SÁENZ DE TEJADA, C · (1937)
ANÓNIMO · (1937)
women as victims of communism.
08
Taking everything into account,
Although this propaganda gained
the representation of women in
a certain relevance, it was not as
the
very
important as the one on the
important role in the perpetuation
republican side. And, despite the
of role models of society and we
fact it wasn't as significant at the
have such a clear example here,
time, due to the outcome of the
in that they were so different on
war, these traditionalist values
the Republican side and on the
became the new norm. These
National side.
ideas of how women should look,
posters
plays
a
act, and think were force into The republican posters, we see
women
women
and
generations that came after that
she
in a way shaping the country.
have
participatory
a
leading role,
and
shaped
the
symbolized the values of the Republic, such as freedom and independence.
And
this
representation
was
very
important
the
for
female
collective at the time, fighting to keep the rights and changes they had achieved.
And in the posters of the national side, we can see the conservative to women.
ANÓNIMO ¡ (1940)
values and ideals of men pushed
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