Twelve images of women. None of them “famous” or known to the media. One woman for every month of the year, but all with masks: doctors, nurses and care assistants for the elderly, as pictured by Paola Cavallari.
Paola Cavallari is a former teacher and eco-feminist activist from the sustainability group within the DallaStessaParte network (On the same side), and creator of the interreligious observatory on violence against women.
Paola portrayed the women of her country for a very special calendar downloadable from Facebook for free by anyone who wishes to own a calendar with images of women fighting at the frontlines against Covid-19 but with no media hype, and also to protest against the harmful calendar launched in early January by “Codacons.”
The coordination of associations for environmental protection and user and consumer rights, commonly known as “Codacons,” is a very powerful association in Italy which was founded in 1986 with the aim of assisting groups and individuals in disputes against multinationals or the public administration in the event of an abuse.
“How is it possible that in 2020, after the so many battles women have fought to overthrow gender stereotypes, to think that there is nothing better than to photograph 12 young naked women to thank fighters?”
At the end of 2020, Codacons came up with an embarrassing calendar. Each month of the year in their calendar featured a photo of a naked woman in a soft pornographic style. The calendar, dubiously titled Italienza (a synthesis between “resilience” and “Italy”), was accompanied by an even worse “contest” inviting the public to vote for the most beautiful image.
Italienza
1 of 12
–+
1. January
2. Février
3. Mars
4. Avril
5. Mai
6. Juin
7. Juillet
8. Aout
9. Septembre
10. Octobre
11. Novembre
12. Décembre
The response was not long in coming: over 60 associations launched a petition on Change.org to ask Codacons to recall all copies of its calendar.
The calendar drew criticism from women and men across Italy: “How is it possible?” the signatories asked, “that in 2020, after the so many battles women have fought to overthrow gender stereotypes still present in our culture, to think that there is nothing better than to photograph 12 young naked women ‘covered’ by a tricolored mask to represent Italian resilience? Women have demonstrated resilience during the pandemic by working in hospitals, supermarkets, cleaning and sanitation companies, nursing homes, schools, teaching from home for distance learning, simultaneously managing their profession, children, disabilities, elderly parents and sometimes even losing their jobs.”
Calendar from “Ecofemministe e sostenibilità“
Thus, came the proposal of Paola Cavallari and the “real” calendar of women. Portrayed in their truth, sheer beauty and strength, the 12 chosen women represent the vast majority of the world of Italian women who every day bear the brunt of care work, both inside and outside the home.
The calendar was dedicated to the memory of farmer Agitu Gudeta, the Ethiopian refugee who became the symbol of integration after se was killed in December 2020 in her house in Trentino by one of her collaborators.
Monica Lanfranco is an Italian journalist, blogger, trainer and founder of the feminist quarterly “Marea” in 1994. She is the creator of the Radio Delle Donne podcast channel, has taught new media theory and technique at the University of Parma, and has been running the feminist training and seminar center, Altradimora, since 2008. Monica is also a book author, and her latest book, "Crescere uomini-le parole dei ragazzi su sessualità, pornografia, sessismo" (Growing up as a man: Teenagers' words about sexuality, pornography and sexism), was published by Erickson in 2019. Follow Monica’s work on her personal website: Monica Lanfranco, Radio Delle donne, Marea, Altradimora, Il Fatto Quotidiano.
