Abstract

During the first three decades of the 20th century, and in the midst of the fervor of urban change that transformed Buenos Aires into a metropolis, poetry, cinema, theater and tango lyrics repeatedly portrayed the path of neighborhood young females who, by immersing themselves in the downtown nightlife, placed their stakes on a society where social mobility –limited yet real– was part of the urban experience. For the most part written by men, tango lyrics depicted these journeys in a critical tone, and tuberculosis was cast as a form of punishment for these young women who dared to question their assigned place and role in the domestic and neighborhood worlds. Thus, tango lyrics not only offer a highly moralizing account but also paint an image of an illness that seems to be feminine although in fact it was one that affected male and women alike.