Scandal, motherhood and Mina in 1960s Italy

Haworth, Rachel

Abstract

Celebrity scandals are a useful tool to reveal the pervasiveness of expected ways of behaving within a particular culture or society. Italy of the early 1960s was particularly marked by these kinds of scandals, including that of singer Mina's pregnancy by Corrado Pani in 1963. This article takes this scandal as a case study to explore how star image in this period in Italy was influenced by the established ideologies that governed social convention, morality, and traditional gender roles. It examines in detail the ways in which the popular press reported on this scandal, using the reports that covered the announcement of the pregnancy and then the birth to cast light on the extent to which the mainstream social values and ideas regarding the status quo and expected ways of behaving for women in Italy during the early 1960s were destabilised and/or reasserted through the star persona of Mina.

Citation

Haworth, R. (2017). Scandal, motherhood and Mina in 1960s Italy. Modern Italy, 22(3), 247-260. https://doi.org/10.1017/mit.2017.38

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 6, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 1, 2017
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jun 11, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 1, 2017
• Journal: Modern Italy
• Print ISSN: 1353-2944
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 247-260
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/mit.2017.38
• Keywords: Mina; Celebrity scandal; Star image; Status quo; Gender roles; Social expectations
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/452263
• Publisher URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-italy/article/scandal-motherhood-and-mina-in-1960s-italy/ABCD2C7986D19B167F618371714B2444
• Additional Information: This article has been published in a revised form in Modern Italy http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/mit.2017.38. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Association for the Study of Modern Italy.
• Contract Date: Jun 11, 2017