Music Reviews

‘Zorra’ addresses sexist pressures that women face

Perth, AUSTRALIA – For those who don’t know, pop duo Nebulossa won Spain’s annual Benidorm Fest, a national televised song contest. The prize? Representing Spain at Eurovison 2024.

The song that won Nebulssa the festival, “Zorra,” is an upbeat, witty, and most importantly catchy ‘80s-style synthetic pop.

In the weeks after its release, Zorra experienced an immediate and meteoric rise to popularity, rising to the top three songs on Spotify and, at least among the Spanish-speaking internet, going viral.

But what is it about?

“Zorra” is a Spanish word that literally translates to “vixen.” As all descriptive words in Spanish, its suffix is changed between masculine (zorro) and feminine (zorra) according to the gender of the subject.

But as the gender of the word changes, so too does its meaning.

“Zorro” is the word for a person who is cunning and astute, much like the English personification of the fox. “Zorra” is a slur applied to women that translates to “bitch” or “slut.”

Nebulossa’s song embraces the word that is its namesake:

“I am a slut for being myself,” it says, “but I will not change for you, so call me a slut all the more.”

When lines like “if I go out alone, I’m a slut … If I have fun, more of a slut” are considered, “Zorra” is a feminist critique of patriarchy, an indictment of shame as an attempt to control women, and an ironic embrace of a word that – when shame is rejected – loses its power.

However, Nebulossa’s performance at Benidorm Fest, and the reactions to the song, show a shallower meaning.

At Benidorm Fest, singer Mery Bas is not labeled with the word “zorra” by the harsh lights of a projector. Instead, she is dressed in a diamond-studded girdle and flanked by two muscular, high-heeled, scantily dressed, and provocatively dancing men.

While it is a change of pace (although an equally distasteful one) to see men objectified in the same way women are – and the choice could charitably be interpreted as an ironic reversal of men’s and women’s portrayal in media – the provocative presentation only adds ammunition to claims that “Zorra” is not feminist at all.

I watched Nebulossa’s performance with low expectations, having first read Spanish poet Elsa López’s vitriolic article “No. No soy una Zorra” in the feminist publication Mujeres en Red.

In it, she writes: “[Nebulossa is] nothing but a pathetic duo of imbeciles who believe that by putting on a girdle and making obscene gestures that would humiliate a human being of either sex they represent someone … This reflection [on the use of the word zorra] is for toddlers.” (translation by this author).

But after hearing the song for myself, I was soon won over.

To me, “Zorra” is, if not empowering, cathartic, because it is bold enough to name the pressures women are made to face.

Like López, I find myself repelled by the performance at Benidorm Fest, and I would rather the song name and reject than name and accept such an anti-female word.

But these few shortcomings are not enough to detract from the music and message that won “Zorra” the opportunity to represent Spain.

Marit Nair is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International.

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