Gender metaphors in representations of the biological body: an analysis of popular medical literature published in Franco’s Spain

Abstract

This paper analyses two metaphors used to explain reproduction in Spain's popular medical literature of the 1950s and 1960s, that is, during the middle decades of the Franco dictatorship (1939–1975). By exploring metaphors and advice manuals, I study how knowledge about sexuality is disclosed to non-specialist audiences, and how this reinforces hegemonic discourses that sustain power relations and naturalize gender hierarchies. Precisely the status of advice literature as a hybrid genre makes it an interesting source to study the use of gendered metaphors. The intention to educate common people is evident in a language that uses clear analogies and familiar associations that appeal to common sense and are supposed to be effortlessly grasped by the intended audience. Particularly, I discuss two examples that rely on both textual and visual allegories. On the one hand, I explore the concept of menstruation as a cyclical defeat, which conveys and reinforces assumptions about women's bodies and roles that fit well with the gender politics of the Franco regime. On the other hand, I asses the depiction of the egg and the sperm through the simile of fertilization as a wedding. This image reflects widespread preconceptions about love, marriage, and sex. I argue that, since symbolic representations play a crucial role in shaping gender inequalities, an inquiry of such discourses help us identify those symbols that naturalize stereotypes and allows us to problematize strategies that perpetuate power relations.