Natalia Aspesi

Natalia Aspesi (Italian pronunciation: [nataˈliːa ˈaspezi]; born 24 June 1929) is an Italian journalist and feminist.

Life

Aspesi in 2016

Aspesi was born in Milan on 24 June 1929.[1] Aspesi's father was a textile salesman, and her mother was a schoolteacher and an avowed anti-fascist. She and her older sister were raised by their mother after their father died when Aspesi was four-years-old.[1]

Aspesi attempted to work several jobs before pursuing journalism, including a schoolteacher, a waitress in Geneva, and an au pair in England. As a journalist, Aspesi has written for several newspapers, including La Notte, Il Giorno, and La Repubblica. She developed a reputation for sneaking into exclusive places for her work, including a train carriage with The Beatles and the hospital room of Gino Paoli.[1]

Aspesi identifies as a feminist.[2] She has criticized online feminism and American feminism, which she describes as victim feminism, criticizing catcalling and body positivity as trivial issues relative to past focuses of feminism.[3] She has criticized the #MeToo movement and the publicizing of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases, arguing that they did not advance the cause of feminism.[4] She is an outspoken opponent of critic of the Five Star Movement.[5]

Aspesi criticized J. R. R. Tolkien's works and considered it "a bit naziskin".[6][7] In addition, he defined the Tolkien's works as three "fairy romances" which are "eccentric and slightly demented".[8] Aspesi did not take seriously the expectation that women should marry young; she eventually partnered with Antonio Sirtori, and the two remained together for 38 years until Sirtori's death in 2012.[1] Aspesi suffered a stroke in 2023, causing her to intermittently lose consciousness for ten days.[9]

References

1. Soncini, Di Guia (23 May 2019). "Diventare La (Natalia) Aspesi. Vademecum per ragazze sveglie" [Becoming (Natalia) Aspesi. Handbook for smart girls]. Elle (in Italian). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
2. Torrisi, Claudia (20 October 2017). "Harvey Weinstein: Italian media coverage of the scandal has been predictably outrageous". openDemocracy. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
3. ""Femministe vittimistiche. E Biancaneve si diverta". Le "stoccate" di Natalia Aspesi" ["Victim feminists. Snow White? Be the w......e". The "stocks". Natalia Aspesi]. ilGiornale.it (in Italian). 24 May 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
4. Pagani, Malcom (11 October 2017). "Weinstein, Natalia Aspesi: 'Se mi chiedi un massaggio in ufficio e io te lo concedo, poi non mi posso stupire su come va a finire'" [Weinstein, Natalia Aspesi: "If you ask me for a massage in the office and I'll give it to you, then I can't be surprised at how it ends"]. Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
5. "Natalia Aspesi: 'Sono una vecchia strega che fantastica ogni genere di crudeltà contro Salvini e Di Maio'" [Natalia Aspesi: "I am an old witch who fantasizes about all kinds of cruelty against Salvini and Di Maio"]. Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 17 June 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
6. Di Giorgio, Massimiliano (16 August 2012) [2001]. "Tolkien, i fasci e qualche equivoco" (blog) (in Italian). ... famosa saga fantasy, un po' naziskin, scritta dal filologo inglese J.R. Talkien [sic] che, data la sua passione per la mitologia celtica, entrerà certamente nelle scuole formigonbossiane della Lombardia come testo base di storia patria.
7. N. Aspesi, "L'invasione degli hobbit", «La Repubblica», may 11 2001
8. Aspesi, Natalia (13 December 2012). "Viaggio all' indietro nel magico mondo della Terra di Mezzo". La Repubblica (in Italian).
9. "Natalia Aspesi, 93 anni, colpita da ictus: 'Scusate se per una volta scrivo di me'" [Natalia Aspesi, 93, affected by a stroke: "Sorry if I write about myself for once"]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 4 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.