Zezé Motta, the success of blackness: reflections on racism, media, and body

Abstract

This article analyzes the trajectory of Zezé Motta, highlighting her relevance as an actress, singer, and in the antiracist struggle. Focusing on the 1970s and 1980s, the research examines how Zezé managed to achieve success and recognition in a racist society while maintaining a stance of confronting racism, despite the limitations imposed on her image and body. The study, grounded in Social History of Culture in dialogue with Cultural and Feminist Studies, investigates the social roles imposed on Black artists at the time and how Zezé achieved the status of sex symbol within this context. It also explores how the artist perceived the objectification of her body and how that body became an inseparable part of her artistic identity. Based on hemerographic sources from digital and physical archives and the analysis of albums released between 1975 and 1985, we seek to understand Zezé Motta’s insertion in the Brazilian audiovisual and phonographic markets, the repertoires she chose, her commercial performance, the strategies that sustained her consolidation as a singer and actress, the media impact of her fame, and how her image was presented to the public, articulating these dimensions to understand the construction of her artistic trajectory.