The decedent present. Nation´s body and woman's body in Spanish Transition

Abstract

This article offers an anlysis of the so-called “destape” during the Transition to democracy in Spain through the writings of socialite and chronicler Francisco Umbral. The female body is understood here as allegory of the nation’s body, therefore, a portion of the article dwells in the anlysis of the dying body pf the dictator as the metaphor for the dying dictatorship as well. The main argument running through the article is that, while some actresses willingly asserted their rebellion against the dictatorships prude Catholic morality, the “destape” of our Transition offers us the opportunity the hidden misogyny (not so hidden these days) inbeded in democratic political discourses, persisting today with the assassination of women by the sentimental partners. The illusion of freedom that the languge of nakedness conveis may turn into a faustian bargain for the feminist political freedom we aspire to.