Nationalism and gender. Comparing images of women in Brazilian and Argentine airlines during the golden years.

MARÍA ALICE DE FARIA NOGUEIRA; PIGLIA, MELINA

Lisboa

Conferencia; T2M 2021 Annual Conference Mobilities in Transition: Circulation, Appropriation, Globalization; 2021

Asociación Internacional de Historia del Transporte, el Tráfico y la Movilidad

The 1960s and 1970s were the "golden years" of commercial aviation, an era of jets, mass tourism, and a boom of plane travel. With increasingly similar aircraft and standardized airfares, competition between airlines focused on the experiences of the passengers. The service on board especially offered by the female flight attendants was at the center of these experiences, which included both the promise of sensual pleasures and comfort and an array of symbolic benefits: from the distinction and the prestige of consuming the glamorous to the patriotic emotion. Despite the difference between the state-owned company Aerolineas Argentinas, and Varig (Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense), the private Brazilian airline ? although very close to the politicians in power, even throughout the Brazilian military dictatorship period -, the public imagery of these airlines was aimed not only at potential clients (both foreigners ? especially in the Brazilian case - and local) but as well, strongly address towards legitimizing the company in the eyes of the citizens, presenting it as a symbol of nationality and national progress and development. Thus, in the case of these Latin American airline companies, we claim that this peculiarity layed in the close state participation in these airlines, and thus in the way commercial aviation was perceived in by the different forms of developmental nationalism that were at the center of Latin American politics during those years. Therefore, the image of the flight attendants was strategically used as an important symbol of the companies in their advertisements, mostly to build up the desired representations of national identities. In the Argentine case, the images of the flight attendants were used to reinforce the self-perception of Argentina?s population as European, white, and cosmopolitan, as well as to evoke the discreet girlfriend or the mother more than the seductive liberal or modern woman. Otherwise, in Brazil, regarding Varig?s case which, although private, served as an informal diplomatic representation of the country outward throughout the ?golden years?, the flight attendants presented on TV and print advertisements were always deracialized women shown as beautiful and caring, ready to serve the passengers with ?gentileza? or cordiality, characteristic that strength an important singularity of the Brazilian (ideal of) nation and culture.By discussing the cases of female images in the public imagery of Brazilian and Argentine airlines, we would like to explore the peculiarities of Latin American participation in the - otherwise globalized - international aviation market, as well as shed light on gender and nationalism issues in both countries in the 60s and 70s.