Tradition and Modernity

Something I found interesting about Pedro Almodovar’s “Pepi, Luci, Bom” was the contrast between tradition and societal change.

When Luci’s husband tells her he does not like independent women, he is saying he wants Luci to be the opposite: a dependent woman who cannot fend for herself and needs to be taken care of by a man. He also does not like it when she wears trousers, a conventionally male clothing item, because when women wear them they undermine this concept of patriarchal dominance. Man’s business is in the public sphere and in keeping order in his home and family; woman’s business is in shopping, cooking, and sewing, as demonstrated by Luci and Charito’s conversation about food prices and Luci’s cover story for spending time with Pepi and Bom. Tradition demands that these gender roles remain distinct, and that means trousers and power for men only. By extension, then, this power dynamic is also epitomized by the rape scenes: The husband has no qualms about forcing himself on unwilling women because in his view, men’s sexuality takes precedence over women’s sexuality (and desire).

Meanwhile, Pepi, Bom, and their friends subscribe to a different paradigm, one that celebrates openness and sexual freedom. What is described as a “wave of eroticism sweeping the country” is really a rebellion against the oppressive conservatism of societal tradition. Within the subculture Luci enters is an openness about, for example, fetishes, as well as a kind of fluidity in both sexuality and relationships. This fluidity is evident in the discussion the two young gay men have about the wealthy older man who will pay them for sex, and in the fact that Luci has two relationships, one with a man and the other with a woman. This untraditional way of life also rails against patriarchal dominance by ensuring greater gender equality. Women are given more power, as evidenced by Pepi’s success at getting done what she wants done, be it revenge or finding work. Additionally, women also find more equality in their relationships—or, as Luci refers to it, “fulfillment,” as her husband does not fulfill her masochistic needs and Bom does. Finally, neither of the rape scenes occur within this context of equality; all the sexuality seen is consensual.

Almodovar pits tradition against more modern ideas of gender and sexual expression, ultimately portraying tradition in a negative light and making the freer lifestyle seem like the much more comfortable choice. He makes Pepi and Bom’s world non-oppressive and much more egalitarian than the one the husband represents, which is corrupt and violent.