It goes without saying that Mery Bas, the protagonist of this story, “sweats it all” when asked about the dust raised by the song “zorra”, chosen this past Saturday at the Benidorm Fest 2024 to represent Spain in Eurovision. The duo Nebulossa (Mery's husband is there, Mark Dasousa) will compete in Malmö (Sweden) with a musical song released with controversy served.
Something that seems to already go with the DNA of the latest editions of Eurovision. If what it is about is drawing attention to arouse interest, the strategy of the event organizers works wonderfully.
And this time in the debate, very heated, it is difficult to find intermediate colors. Those who see everything as black, call the lyrics offensive and inappropriate (if I go out alone I'm the slut, if I have fun I'm the sluttiest, if I go long and it's daylight I'm even more of a slut...) because they understand that it exalts machismo and trivializes violence.
At the opposite pole – those prone to seeing everything white – there is talk of women's empowerment and that song is defended as a protest anthem, a hymn to feminism in order to change the meaning of words, such as “bitch”, traditionally used to attack the female sex.
And between the white and the black, Mery Bas and her husband, Mark Dasousa, have remained, for the moment expectant. They say they are, in addition to being very happy to represent Spain in that musical event, very calm with everything that is falling.
“Let them say what they want, we are not 20 years old anymore,” they repeat. A statement made without calculating at that time that her age – Mery is 57 years old and Mark, 45 – was also going to enter the scene, among those who mention ageism at the first opportunity. Discriminatory attacks based on age – we would have to see what would happen if there was no female singer in that duo – like the one launched by Federico Jiménez Losantos: “They are older people, it is an Imserso karaoke.”
There is an answer. Contrary to such simplistic reflections as this, there are those who believe that one of the keys to the success of the song would be, precisely, in the singer's age. Many people who are over 50 and fight ageism daily see in Mery a true “diva”, with the appropriate age and authority to demand the freedom of mature women, raised in a sexist society.
And why not do it, at this point, with the word “bitch” – Nebulossa's unconditional fans ask – which the singer herself admits is closely related to women, but which she clarifies is a term that in this song she also wants to include. “all those people who feel separated or do not feel free to be one or the same.”
A message or interpretation that does not seem to resonate, however, among the entire feminist community. Silvia Carrasco, anthropologist and president of Feministes de Catalunya, is especially harsh. She affirms that the song “zorra” is “an insult to women and girls” and she regrets “that there are equality policies and politicians who do not see it that way.”
Carrasco encourages sending complaints to the Women's Image Observatory. He adds that the song “only has one message: the one that describes women and girls as whores” and considers that “it is extremely cynical and frivolous to say that this song empowers women.” This anthropologist also criticizes the scenery (dancers dressed in corsets and thongs) which “is inspired by porn.”
Maritza Sore, spokesperson for Almena Cooperativa Feminista, emphasizes that “there are many nuances” and states: “We understand that the word 'slut' has historically been used as an insult to women, but we also understand that language changes and that many words are they are resignifying.
For example, the term whore – still used today as an insult – is often claimed by sex workers, or by many other women who have been classified under this concept simply for living a diverse or free sexuality.”
She maintains that songs like these are not just about “empowering” or “disempowering” women; There are nuances and that allows us to reflect. “The empowerment of women does not only involve a letter of demand, but rather better material conditions that allow us to live dignified lives free from violence. Without a doubt, art has a lot to contribute to this, since it creates imaginaries and reflects realities.”
And he concludes that “everything changes when it is the women and dissidents themselves who claim these words, since they have been the group historically oppressed by these concepts.” If the song could be of any use, it is so that the word bitch does not continue to be used as an insult and in a derogatory manner.
Even the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, referred to this controversy yesterday. In statements to LaSexta he stated: “It seems to me that feminism is not only fair but also fun and therefore this type of provocations necessarily have to come from culture.” To which he added: “The fachosphere would have liked Cara el sol, but I like this type of songs better.”
The Alliance Against the Erasure of Women asks, for its part, the Government (it understands that RTVE trivializes violence against women and girls with this song) to “refrain from frivolizing about an expression, “bitch”, which is frequently used by abusers when they hit their victims.”
