XVII Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association

Women in Anos Rebeldes: Rede Globo and female representation during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship

• In Event: Race, Gender and Sexuality in Brazilian Arts, Media, and Literature

Abstract

The main purpose of this presentation is to understand the differences in representation in two famous series in Brazil: Anos Rebeldes (The Rebellious Years) and Os Dias Eram Assim (The Days Were Like This). Both are fictional stories about a group of people during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964 - 1985), and are broadcast by the same television channel, Rede Globo.
Anos Rebeldes (1992) revolves around a couple, Maria Lúcia and João Alfredo, their friends and their families. Os Dias Eram Assim (2017) portrays a love story in the middle of a violent period: Alice and Renato are the main couple: he, from a left-wing family, with a militant brother; She comes from a right-wing family, with a father who is a businessman, financier and supporter of the dictatorship.
The series, due to the audience and the debates they generated, are extremely relevant, and they encourage reflections on dictatorial periods by formulating a point of view on those moments. Both TV shows discuss and represent women in these moments in different ways. Through the trajectory of the female characters, the series discuss topics such as women and the job market; women in armed struggle; the sexual revolution and its impact on Brazilian youth. Female representation differs between the series. This occurs due to the different political and social contexts during the exhibition of each one of them. Brazil in 1992 has substantial differences compared to Brazil in 2017.

Author

• Beatriz Bravo, University of California, Irvine