Elisa Cuter's 'Ripartire dal desiderio' analyzes gender inequality through desire

Elisa Cuter's new book 'Ripartire dal desiderio' (Minimum Fax, 2020) examines gender inequality and patriarchal legacies through the lens of desire. The author, a film critic and researcher at Filmuniversität Konrad Wolf in Babelsberg, Germany, uses the 1990s Italian TV show 'Non è la Rai' as a case study to explore how femininity is culturally constructed and performed. The show, created by Gianni Boncompagni, featured teenage girls like Ambra Angiolini being coached by older men, exemplifying patriarchal conditioning. Cuter argues that femininity is a cultural construct, not biological, referencing Judith Butler's work. She sees the show as a postmodern remake of Visconti's 'Bellissima', with parents suing the network over age limits for participants. The book critiques the feminization of power, market, and individuals under late capitalism, positioning desire as an antidote to social conditioning and a tool for transformation. Cuter aims not to provide an activism manual but to understand how partial narratives suppress others, reproducing false dichotomies. The book is 214 pages, €16, ISBN 9788833891842.