Benedetta Pilato and Elisa Di Francisca: the competition between women live on TV

The 2024 Olympics are taking place in Paris, and the world is holding its breath. On social media, fencing, saber, swimming, and skeet shooting competitions are passionately commented on, and everyone's eyes are glued to sports channels. New personalities are emerging, with young athletes at their first Olympics garnering both sympathy and criticism from the public, promising to monopolize our attention throughout the summer, or at least until we go on vacation. Of course, the cherry on top is the controversy. The latest, centered around comments made by Elisa Di Francisca about Benedetta Pilato, offers reflections on the competition between women, generational conflict, and the myth of victory and productivity at all costs.

Benedetta Pilato and Elisa Di Francisca, What Happened

Let's start from the beginning. On July 29, the women's 100m breaststroke final took place in Paris. Nineteen-year-old swimmer Benedetta Pilato from Taranto finished just one-hundredth of a second away from the podium. After the race, amidst tears and laughter, she exclaimed, "It's the happiest day of my life, no matter what," and then explained, "I tried my best until the end, I'm sorry, but these are tears of joy, I swear. A year ago, I wasn't even able to compete in this race. I tried from the first meter. This is just a starting point." A few days earlier, upon qualifying for the final, she had spoken about facing many changes in the past year and growing a lot. In short, all the emotions that a talented young woman might feel in the face of a world-class sporting event, even if she finished "only" fourth. Not everyone appreciated this positive and proactive attitude. Elisa Di Francisca, a former fencer born in 1982, expressed her doubts while commenting on the event on Rai channels, saying, "Honestly, I don't understand it. She was clearly disappointed. It's not possible. This interview is absurd and surreal. What did she come here for? I'm just shivering, that's all I can say."

The Social Media Storm: Ageism or Boomerism?

These comments did not sit well on social media. Some accused Di Francisca of venting her frustrations on a younger girl, while others pointed out that being happy with a fourth place at 19 years old is not so absurd. Some simply noted that reaching the Olympics is already an achievement, especially at a young age and after a year full of events and, apparently, some physical issues. There seem to be two camps: those who believe that the fencing champion is competing with the swimmer, pushing the narrative that Gen Z is lazy and unproductive and establishing her power, thus accusing her of boomerism, and those who counter this by arguing that it's not an age issue and that anyone attacking Di Francisca is guilty of ageism, or discrimination against older people.

A Reflection on Competition Between Women, Generational Conflict, and the Value Placed on Youth

What we notice instead is that age-based competition between women not only exists but is also actively fueled by society, and if Di Francisca brought it to the screen, she may have done so unconsciously, unknowingly. Without resorting to incel rhetoric, which is becoming increasingly mainstream, it's easy to see how women, as they age, are considered less valuable. Finding a job for an older woman is difficult, youth is considered a value, a symbol, men often prefer younger women, while older women become practically invisible, forgotten in corners. It's inevitable that competition arises, but it serves no one except men and those in power, who revel in seeing women, champions, athletes attack each other to prove something to the world. This dynamic also includes the theme of the generational war, in this case between millennials and Gen Z, showing its barrenness in all its evidence. None of this is constructive; in fact, it makes us myopic and angry. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to join forces, as women and as young people?

Productivity at All Costs Serves No One

This clash - which Pilato commented on Instagram by simply sharing others' opinions and showing her perplexity indirectly - tells us something also about a society based on productivity, where human value is determined by tangible achievements (in this case, a medal, but often also economically), otherwise it doesn't count. A society where arrogance and presumption are seen as positive, while emotion is a sign of weakness, a society where if you don't win, you don't matter, even if you've worked hard, even if you can see (as Benedetta Pilato demonstrated she can) that this effort has all the value in the world.