Moana Pozzi
Moana Pozzi | |
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| Minister without portfolio of Gylias (Responsibility for sexual hygiene) | |
| In office 1 February 1990 – 15 September 1994 | |
| Prime Minister | Mathilde Vieira |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Anna Moana Rosalia Pozzi 27 April 1961 Valona, Alţira, Gylias |
| Died | 15 September 1994 (aged 33) Mişeyáke, Mişeyáke, Gylias |
| Political party | Love, Nature, Democracy |
| Occupation |
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Moana Pozzi (Gylic transcription: Moána Poţi; 27 April 1961 – 15 September 1994), also known mononymously as Moana, was a Gylian pornographic actress, media personality, and politician. She was one of Gylias' most famous pornographic stars, and was minister without portfolio with responsibility for sexual hygiene in the Mathilde Vieira government.
Moana became a pornographic star in the 1980s, and achieved national fame by the end of the decade. Her popularity was based on her sunny personality and ebullient acting, which earned her the nickname "the Pollyanna of porn".
She entered politics in 1989, being one of the founding members of Love, Nature, Democracy. As the party's first leader, she ran a light-hearted campaign during the 1990 federal election, using the slogan, "If you want to waste your vote, vote for us!". The LND finished sixth overall, becoming one of the largest non-inscrit parties. It joined the Mathilde Vieira government, in coalition with the Liberal Union, New Alliance for the Future, and Independent Regional Alliance for Minorities.
Moana took the post of minister without portfolio with responsibility for sexual hygiene. She was a strong advocate of reproductive health and justice, and introduced policies that strengthened regulated sex work and prenatal care.
She suddenly fell ill and died in 1994, aged 33. Her death prompted national mourning, and produced a significant sympathy vote for the LND in the 1995 federal and presidential elections.
Early life
Anna Moana Rosalia Pozzi was born on 27 April 1961 in Valona. She was the daughter of a nuclear engineer and a child care provider. She had a younger sister, Maria Tamiko Pero Pozzi (b. 1 June 1963).
Moana joked that her parents "believed names were destiny", and thus gave her and her sister multiple auspicious or hopeful names. These included "Rosalia", after the last Cacertian empress; "Tamiko" (Miranian: 多美子), meaning "child of many beauties"; and "Pero", after the symbol of Roman Charity. She went by "Moana", a Hemari word meaning "ocean", throughout her career, but was called "Anna" by family.
She travelled often as a child due to her parents' work, living briefly in Cacerta, Akashi, and Megelan. She found Megelan "strange and quite dispiriting", but enjoyed her time in Cacerta. She often returned home with one parent due to her inability to adjust to foreign schools, and attended anarchist free schools and distance learning.
She attended secondary school and college in Senik, where she studied classical guitar, piano, acting, and science.
Unsure whether to begin tertiary education after finishing college, she took a year off and started working as a model and actress. She found several bit parts in comedy films, including one in Edwige Ferré's La poliziotta va in collegio (1980).
Pornography
Moana took her first pornographic role in 1981, in Valentina, ragazza in calore (Valentina, Girl in Heat), credited as "Linda Hébert". At the time, she was also working on a children's show for ATV Arxaþ. She was called to a meeting with the producer, an event she would cheerfully mythologise in her autobiography. She feared being chastised or fired, but instead the producer complimented her acting, and quipped that "Even as a girl in heat, you still behaved like a Tip Tap Club host. How many people can do that?"
She came to focus on pornographic roles. Her first leading role was in Fantastica Moana (1984), also her first film credited as "Moana Pozzi" after previously using stage names. Her sister Maria also became a pornographic actress, and the two would appear together as sisters in several films.
Moana quickly became a leading pornographic star, appearing in over 100 films, and became a household name outside of pornography. She was famed for her joyful and wholesome public image, earning comparisons to Alike Demetriou, France Gall, and The Sapphires. She played "sweet and lovely" characters, cultivating the image of a girl next door. Her friend and collaborator Ilona Stahler commented: "People loved Moana's films because they loved seeing that happy girl have happy orgasms."
Moana made her italianità central to her career. She made all her films in Italian. Unlike Edwige Ferré, who emphasised the comedic and vaguely ridiculous aspects of Italian, Moana spoke a refined Italian with few dialectal elements, and emphasised its harmonious and "musical" sound, which contributed significantly to her playful presence on screen.
As her career progressed, her image grew more sophisticated and glamorous, while preserving her ingénue charm. She became a media personality, appearing regularly on ATV and GTV. During her interviews and guest appearances, she humorously insisted on speaking at all times in Italian, requiring subtitles or a translator on hand. She quipped, "Se parlassi una lingua straniera, Euphrosyne piangerebbe." ("If I spoke a foreign language, Euphrosyne would weep.")
In interviews, Moana spoke of her desire to be a good role model, and how she wished to be seen by the public: sexy, sophisticated, intelligent, and worldly. She ensured her characters were intelligent and admirable, and included scenes in her films to demonstrate her talents, especially as a capable amateur musician. She became a salonnière and befriended noted intellectuals and artists, such as Margot Fontaine, Carmen Dell'Orefice, Virginia Gerstenfeld, and Deborah Freeman. Moana strongly admired Margot, and when they met she would ask Margot about her career as a ballerina–philosopher, prompting lengthy discussions.
Politics
Moana was initially a supporter of the LSD Party, and her interest in politics grew after the wretched decade. Together with Ilona and several other colleagues, she founded Love, Nature, Democracy in 1989. The party was conceived as an anarchist organisation with satirical elements, similar to the LSDP, but focused on free love rather than drugs.
1990 election
Moana led the LND into the 1990 federal election, and easily became one of the "stars" of the election campaign. She embraced the role with gusto, dressing in Kaede Nakano business suits that emphasised her physique, and delivering a dead-on parody of politicians which added to the election's festive atmosphere. She brought levity to public meetings, and aimed her message at disillusioned and apathetic voters, famously proclaiming, "Se vuoi sperperare il tuo voto, vota per noi!" ("If you want to waste your vote, vote for us!").
She attracted significant media attention during the campaign, and notable support from prominent musicians such as Asuka and the Mighty Invincibles, The Stone Roses, New Order, and the Beastie Boys, who played concerts in support of LND. She starred in LND's sole party political broadcast, delivering a satirical monologue in which she criticised other politicians for ignoring the "sex recession", and discussed raising the average quality of sex as if it was Gylias' average income. The other parties respected her reputation and went easy on her in public meetings, to avoid being seen as attacking her.
The 1990 election proved to be a major breakthrough for Non-inscrits, as voters punished established electoral blocs for the wretched decade. Although the major beneficiary was the NAF, the LND performed strongly: it finished sixth overall, and with 30 deputies and 18 senators, became the second largest non-inscrit party, ahead of the GP and ARENA.
Moana was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, for a circonscription in Alţira. When the results were announced, she was famously photographed leaping in the air to celebrate, and quipped to reporters, "Questa donna è deputata!" ("This woman is a deputy!"), paraphrasing Tamara Łempicka's victory declaration.
Minister without portfolio
The LND joined Mathilde Vieira's "plural coalition", and Moana accepted the post of minister without portfolio with responsibility for sexual hygiene. She specifically chose the term "sexual hygiene" because she enjoyed its old-fashioned sound.
In office, Moana's priorities were sexual justice, sex rights, and feminism. She was a highly active minister without portfolio in the tradition of Tina Jørgensen, frequently relying on her high profile and sustained contacts with civil society to advocate for her policies. She pushed for expansion of sex education and reproductive health provision, creating "love parks" to accommodate sex workers, promotion of free love, and exemption of sex work from VAT.
One of her major victories occured with the government's judicial and legal reforms of 1991–1992, which enshrined the "right to sexuality and asexuality" in the Civil Code and expanded courts' jurisprudence regarding sexuality.
Despite theoretically wielding less influence than other ministers, Moana was one of the most popular members of the Mathilde Vieira government. Deputy Prime Minister Mielikki Salonen commented that "Moana embodied everything people enjoyed about the government — the fun, the energy, the end of the tough times…". She enjoyed appearing on television for interviews and discussion programmes, and was a regular guest on The Havomar Report. She continued to be a salonnière in her spare time, meeting regularly with prominent pop culture figures, and also engaged in modeling.
In Parliament, Moana was known as a diligent worker, establishing a Temporary Committee on Sexual Hygiene to advance her program. However, during public debates and campaigns, she embraced the theatre of politics: she played up the image of a bawdy wisecracker for GTV Parliament, and famously addressed voters as ragazze e ragazzi intelligenti ("clever boys and girls").
During the Siege of Gothendral, Moana was one of several people who spoke to Marius Lauritzen by phone. Her sympathetic and encouraging conversation irritated Chancellor Ulrik Andersen, sparking a brief diplomatic incident.
Moana also stood as the LND candidate in the 1991 presidential election, similarly promoting her message of free love and "sexarchism". She finished third, with her vote transfers contributing to the victory of leftist candidate Anina Bergmann.
Death
In 1994, Moana suddenly fell ill, suffering severe weight loss and vomiting when she tried to eat. She was diagnosed with liver cancer, and underwent aggressive treatment.
She died on 15 September 1994 in hospital, aged 33. Her death prompted national mourning, and produced a significant sympathy vote for the LND in the 1995 federal and presidential elections.
Private life
Moana had one child, Simone, born in 1979 shortly before her 18th birthday. Simone was raised collectively by the family and told Moana was his older sister, not finding out the truth until after her death.
She married Antonio di Ciesco, a Cacertian actor, in 1992. They were married until her death.