Miss World

Last night, the Dude and I watched Sweet Movie, a 1974 Soviet film by Dušan Makavejev released by Criterion on DVD. The film brilliantly satirizes western capitalism and the cult of virginity, revealing the two to be one in the same. The film begins with a Miss World pageant in which various female contestants are inspected by a gynocologist to see which is the "purist." The winner marries Mr. Kapital, an industrialist fixated on cleanliness, who shocks his new bride with his golden phallus.

This early series of events sets the tone for the rest of film, which I would describe as sexual absurdism with a politically subversive twist. I'm gonna be honest and say that I haven't quite added it all up, but that ultimately, I never grew bored either. The lush, metaphorical visuals (a woman bathing in chocolate, a man submerged in sugar and stabbed through the heart) keep me wondering about the film's intended message; certainly, the capitalistic version of love and gender roles are lampooned, but later scenes depicting communal sex rituals also seem to be parodying free love. Toss in footage of the Katyn Massacre and the film's meaning becomes difficult to unravel. Yet, I admire the complexity and obscurity, as I could easily watch this film again and find something entirely new.

What fascinated me most was the commentary on western marriage. I myself married just this past July, and while I am happy with my decision, I know that marriage in the society I currently live in has certain meanings beyond my power to control--the words "husband" and "wife," for instance, are loaded with gendered connotations, making me wonder if I should use those terms at all. I don't think of myself as a "wife" in the traditional sense: I'm not entirely responsible for the domestic, while my spouse goes off to attain the capital. In other words, I'm not Miss World, and he's not Mr. Kapital; yet, these notions are difficult to shake, even in contemporary American society, especially considering the same-sex couples cannot marry in our society. As a result, I have privileges as a straight, married person that gays and lesbians simply do not have access to: legal rights, financial benefits, social legitimacy.

The question, then: can marriage be changed from within? Can I, as I married person, breakdown these gendered meanings of "husband" and "wife," or did I renounce this option when I signed on the dotted line? Have a sold off my right to challenge these privileges by taking part in them?