In the year 1989 Paola Capizzi became a celebrity of the highest degree, when she appeared on the Italian TV show “La prima Donna.” In that show, Capizzi portrayed an elderly woman who was still beautiful, elegant and at the same time full of zest for life. This woman had reached a milestone in her life: at the age of 77, she was already a citizen of Italy, but despite that fact, she preferred to speak more about her nationality, which in Italian is called Nationality. While speaking about her nationality, Capizzi frequently referred to herself as “nantile” and referred to herself as a “national.” Although at times it may seem inappropriate for a grown woman to speak about her nationality, in the case of Paola Capizzi, it seems as if her personal preference has been considered more important than society’s norms.
The topic of Nationality is a very important one, especially to the person who feels as if he belongs to another country, or who wants to nationality free himself from any kind of cultural constraints. However, not everyone agrees with this line of reasoning. For instance, Giorgio Armani, head of the famous Mafia clan, strongly believes that all men are guilty of belonging to a nationality, even if they are not able to give a valid explanation as to why they feel that way. Still, many other people believe that being a national is no more a curse than being an American, an Australian, or a British subject. People often look down upon those who are considered to be of other nationalities and some cultures have gone as far as to ban individuals, or entire nations, from traveling to countries that do not believe in their own.
If one were to ask whether or not a woman is a national, I am sure that the answer will be a resounding YES! In fact, as a woman, I would like to present a counter-example. Suppose a young girl, today, comes up to me and asks: “How old is your grandmother?” I would likely respond by telling her she is my grandmother, because she looks nothing like my grandmother, even though she is three decades younger. And what would become of such a stubborn woman, if I told her nationality was Italian?