Mafalda and Women’s Rights: A Canvass of the Sixties

Abstract

Comic strips have often been avenues of cultural, social, and political expression. A strip born in Argentina during the 1960s, Mafalda, became a worldwide phenomenon emblematic of the struggling urban middle classes and the challenges faced by women. Employing incongruity theory with a feminist lens, this paper analyzes Mafalda within its sociopolitical and cultural context. The analysis suggests the comic strip contained the following four prominent themes: women's rights; patriarchy and education; mundane domesticity; and Argentine class system and the bourgeoisie. The study has theoretical implications for media scholars who study the use of humor as a persuasive strategy and the role of satire in political communication. It also has practical implications for feminists and social justice activists who seek new ways to engage potential sympathizers to their causes.