Women and carnival frolics in Rio de Janeiro: their representations in the press from 1950 to 1962

Abstract

This paper was carried out to discuss representations produced by the press concerning the presence of women of different social levels in carnival frolics held in Rio de Janeiro from 1950 to 1962. Viewed as a kind of merrymaking enjoying a sense of liberation from social conventions, carnival allows outpouring and transgression on the part of some women, who availed themselves of the merry-making opportunity to enjoy more liberating kinds of behavior. By covering the carnival celebrations carried out by magazines such as O Cruzeiro and Manchete and the newspapers Correio da Manha and O Globo, one managed to capture the perceptions of the press on the participation of women in such celebrations.