Women against women
Sometimes, women can have a tremendously negative impact on women’s emancipation. This is evident in the words of Elisabetta Franchi, which felt like like chronicles from the Middle-Ages.
This is what Elisabetta Franchi said in an interview with “Il Foglio”:
“When you put a woman in an important position, you cannot afford not to see her coming for two years because that position is uncovered. An entrepreneur invests time, energy, and money and if a woman cannot show up it’s a problem, so I too, as an entrepreneur, am responsible for my company, have often focused on men.”
“An entrepreneur cannot afford not to see a woman show up for two years, that’s why I often bet on men.”
“I only hire over forty women who already have children.”
Daily life in Middle Ages
This is not men’s opposition to women’s emancipation. This is women against women. When it comes to our vision of fashion, Elisabetta Franchi has never been under our radar. Style speaks, and her fashion perfectly represents her worldview, which is explained above–in her own words. A tacky style for women who dress to impress men. That’s what society and tradition want, so let’s give it to them. And so, we witness the same old patriarchal rhetoric depicted through clothing. A regressive portrayal of women, where career opportunities are nonexistent, but their value lies in attracting men.
It’s something we would never offer to our women. But what we find sad is that most women like that style.
A while ago, we promised to write an exploration of fashion and patriarchy. Indeed, the only fashion that men can appreciate is the one that pleases them. Consequently, that is the most popular style among women, and therefore, that is the best-selling fashion.
Now pair Franchi’s retrograde words with the recent news that three girls couldn’t enter a bar on the beach near Ostia because their clothes weren’t sexy enough. What do we see, then? A disturbing snapshot of a society where women have no opportunities and no evolution.
And we just needed a woman to remind us about it! From the Chronicles of the Middle-Ages, that’s it!