"The girls just want to show off"

The ladies of Montevideo's elite at the center of the cinematographic promotion

Abstract

The article presents a specific case study within the field of audience studies, focusing on the active participation of women in the Montevideo scene in 1936. The role of “society ladies” was fundamental to consolidate cinema as a key element of modernity in Montevideo, while exercising significant control over the legitimacy of the shows and setting trends in fashion and urban lifestyle. It analyzes how women of Montevideo's elite positioned themselves as central figures in the promotion of cinema during the 1930s. Their participation went beyond mere attendance at functions, becoming a mechanism of legitimization for film events and a powerful tool for the dissemination of a modern and cosmopolitan lifestyle. The press of the time, especially magazines such as Cine Radio Actualidad, devoted significant attention to these women, highlighting their elegance, their attire and their participation in social events associated with cinema. But more importantly, in those film pages the presence of these women either in the form of payroll or as an image, starred in the film scene. This dynamic not only reflects the importance of cinema as a space of socialization for the elite, but also evidences the class and gender tensions inherent in the process of modernization.