La concejala antropófoga y otras cuestiones de gusto en la narrativa almodovariana. O de la desregulación social a través de los espacios de placer

Abstract

"I'm pissed off. Tired of men, of diets, of collagens, of liposuctions, of politics, of everything but sex, mate. I am councilwoman for social affairs and both at personal level as well as at professional level I think sex is a deeply social issue. Sexual pleasure is something that everyone should have access to, without prejudices or restrictions ... " The Cannibalistic Councillor (Pedro Almodovar, 2009) The hyper-sexualized imagery of women spread in the 90s, has formed the image of a new femininity and has emerged as the media construction in which self-discipline, diligence and self-demanding work as new technologies of social regulation in line with the neoliberalism project. In this context, using the kitchen as a narrative space, the 2009 short film of Pedro Almodovar, "The Cannibalistic Councillor" makes a mockery of all these principles in a double sense. Firstly, evidencing through the use (or rather consumption) of space the cannibals values that will bring Spain to the crisis manifested openly after 2008, preceded by the housing subprime crisis and public sector management crisis. Secondly, while gutting the perfection that is expected from women, legitimizing the spaces of pleasure and the pleasures of body as engines of a happier society. This article explores how our grotesque protagonist dismantles through this double critique the three postfeminist quintessential elements according to McRobbie: agency, empowerment, and freedom of choice.