Gender and Clothing in "Pepi Luci Bom"

I thought one of the most interesting scenes of “Pepi Luci Bom” was the juxtaposition of the rape of Charito (the neighbor in love with Juan) and the two women on the street take a drunken man’s money. Although it was very subtle, it was very interesting to see how women, in their own way, take advantage of the opposite sex. The women on the street are looking for money and talking amongst themselves about how they need to find money. When they see a drunken man stumbling down the street, they immediately start asking him for money and just take it out of his pocket without asking. In the same way (in the scene right before the women on the street) the policeman takes advantage of Charito by grabbing hold of her in his apartment and forcing her in a corner to have sex with him. It made me really think about how women also frequently take advantage of men, even if it is not in a physical way, which is therefore less acknowledged.

Another interesting aspect of the movie was the way the characters dressed in reflection of their own sexual identity. The more uptight characters, such as Luci, her husband, or the homosexual married to the bearded lady, who had not formerly accepted their true sexuality, dress much more conservatively—turtlenecks, suits and ties. However, the other characters in the movie, such as Pepi and Bom who are not sexually frustrated dress in flowing skirts, tight, revealing clothing, which correlates with their acceptance of their sexual identity and fluidity. Neither Pepi nor Bom seem to have a specific sexual preference and are very open with their sexuality, as reflected in their outfits. In fact, when Luci wears pants, her own husband comments on how he doesn’t like her wearing pants, which connotes that Luci’s husband feels emasculated from the way that his wife dresses. Ultimately, I think “Pepi Luci Bom” is in a way a commentary on the ways that people deal with their sexual desires and how the people are more miserable and uncomfortable if they do not accept their own sexuality (as reflected in how they dress). This made me think about how today the business world and the more uptight cultures that are less accepting of anything other than heterosexual norms tend to impose a dress-code of ties (what is the purpose of ties?), suits, and monotone colors.