Heroines in Covid-19 times: visibility of nursing in the pandemic

Heroínas en tiempos de Covid-19: visibilidad de la enfermería en la pandemia

ABSTRACT

Objective  To analyze the visibility of Nursing workers through images, which circulated in the media during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods  Cultural analysis that aims to articulate the image and its effects with theories from authors in the field of Cultural Studies.

Results  Six figures were selected in which nurses are portrayed as heroines to fight Covid-19 and are promoted from supporting actor to main character, combining the care strategy with the scientific discourse of defense of social isolation. The images portray them as women who face labor suffering from strenuous work and prolonged use of personal protective equipment.

Final considerations  The pandemic, has highlighted speeches related to health work, where we see images of nurses as heroines who organize the chaos and bring order to the “frontline”, making the idealization of Nursing visible.

Keywords
Coronavirus infections; Pandemics; Nursing; Social media