Good Policewoman, Good Mother: Stories, Institutions and Political Uses. A Case Study from Buenos Aires Provincial Police

Abstract

In August 2018, the photograph of a policewoman breastfeeding an abandoned baby in Argentina went viral, in and outside the country. She became so famous that she was promoted. But her case was not unique, showing us that such events are already a recurrent topic in mass media. This paper intends to approach the case, in order to examine the semantic, institutional and temporary elements with which the social and media phenomenon was built. Taking into account its political and institutional uses, this paper also aims to reflect on the way the event was manipulated to communicate specific conceptions regarding feminine policing.