“Corpo grudado em mim”: a arte de Fernanda Magalhães e a crítica aos padrões estéticos construídos na imprensa feminina do século XX

Abstract

This study analyzes the artistic trajectory of Fernanda Magalhães and her performances, particularly Grassa Crua (2016), in dialogue with the discourses of Brazilian women’s press in the twentieth century. The research demonstrates how print media played a central role in the construction and consolidation of aesthetic standards that associated femininity with thinness, and how this process was tied to the dissemination of advertisements for cosmetic and pharmacological products. Based on an examination of magazines such as Fon-Fon and Revista Feminina, the study identifies discursive strategies that naturalized body dissatisfaction and transformed consumption into a tool of symbolic oppression. In this context, Fernanda Magalhães’ art operates as a critical counterpoint, resignifying nudity and the representation of the fat body through performance, photography, and self-representation. Her works challenge the invisibility and stigmatization of non-normative bodies, prompting audiences to reflect on symbolic violence, beauty standards, and social belonging. The study articulates references from Cultural History, Gender Studies, and feminist critique, demonstrating how the artist positions herself within a tradition of resistance that questions aesthetic hegemony and proposes paths toward collective reconstruction.