This work proposes an anthropological reflection on the images and discourses of the body and the sexuality in the Brazilian society, focusing on a particular social phenomenon: the emergence of the Viagra in the national public scenario. This article explores the connotations constructed and confirmed by the Brazilian media press about this drug. Two Brazilian newspapers belonging to the same publisher but aimed at different publics were analyzed from April 1998 to April 1999, period that corresponds to the beginning - and apex - of the debate on the Viagra in the country. The discussion focuses on the symbolism and discursive strategies utilized by the newspapers when presenting this medication to the general public. This article also draws the attention to an appeal to traditional logics of gender, despite a contemporary scenario of issues concerning the relationships among the sexes and the sexuality.
Sexuality's Medicalization; Gender; Body; Aging; Media