Alfonso Callejero: "With all this, March 8th is not a holiday, or a day for pretty selfies, or empty poses with purple ribbons that then end up in the drawer of political hypocrisy."
“You’re prettier when you’re quiet.” The phrase isn’t new; it’s practically ingrained in our minds, like cognac and Baron Dandy. We’ve heard it a thousand times, in countless variations, wrapped in different packaging. And today, it’s creeping into our TikTok feeds. But the message is always the same: “Be quiet. Don’t give your opinion, don’t bother anyone. Your worth isn’t in what you think, but in what you project. Not in what you say, but in what you keep silent about, while you smile and playfully adjust that long strand of hair. And above all, don’t let your presence draw attention. Don’t question, don’t make anyone uncomfortable.”
These past few days we've seen yet another "little woman" who refuses to be silenced targeted. This time, it wasn't just harassment at her workplace or outside her home. It wasn't just verbal abuse, but also physical aggression and rudeness in broad daylight, with complete impunity, in an escalating campaign of harassment and violence. The spokespeople for the far right and their thugs aren't content with simply pointing fingers, insulting, or persecuting. The threats keep rising, all because Sarah Santaolalla has committed the unforgivable sin of refusing to be silent. Of expressing her opinion. Of having her own voice and bravely, boldly, and with a feminist perspective, occupying a public space.
All of this is happening in the context of her being portrayed as "half dumb, half boobs" during prime time, while a conservative congresswoman reduces her to a physical object. This sends a clear message to other women, girls, and teenagers: if you don't keep quiet, you'll pay the price.
And why not say it: it reaffirms the dominant voice of men over them.
Furthermore, this week the Ministry of Equality launched its campaign with a powerful message: to denounce the messages of submission and silence directed at women that have gone viral on social media. These are the same messages that silenced my grandmother and now seek to silence my nephew's friends, speaking of "high-value women," of dressing well and not drawing attention to themselves, of being faithful, exclusive, and pure. The same old creed, but with pretty filters and in podcast format, with the same old objective: to control women's bodies, decisions, and voices.
And what unites both scenes is the same attempt to silence them, to make them submit. To make them "know their place" is in baking bread and preparing dinner for their husbands, silently and with a smile, no matter what. The jokes, the threats, the harassment, and the podcasts whisper to us, shout at us, point the way to our chores and a domestic life, to being pretty for him, submissive and silent.
With all this in mind, March 8th is not a holiday, or a day for pretty selfies, or empty poses with purple ribbons that then end up in the drawer of political hypocrisy. It is a day to fight, to reclaim that rights are won and, in these dark times, can be lost. And that behind every right won, there were women who raised their voices, who made a difference, and who fought. Who refused to be silenced and occupied the public spaces that were said to be off-limits to them.
Therefore, this March 8th, the podcasts of the manosphere must be nothing more than a whisper, in the face of the feminist outcry in Baix Cinca, in particular, and throughout our country, in general. Because silence doesn't make you prettier. Silence, submission, and mere decoration only make you more vulnerable, more isolated, more defeated.
And that, precisely, is what they are looking for.
Opinion piece. The opinions expressed in this text are the sole responsibility of its author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial line of this publication.
