This dissertation aims to analyze the way in which the national press has handled and narrated the cases where women, especially those of white color and belonging to the urban middle sectors, acted in the public space in order to perform diverse performances of gender. And thus, to bring to the fore a whole range of possibilities of female existence in Rio de Janeiro of the First Republic. Such narratives worked as a form of entertainment for the general readership and guaranteed profits to the newspaper companies. The dissemination of controversial cases created an environment for reflection on issues that are significant for society and will be used in this dissertation to recover the experiences and trajectories of several women, to understand the relevance of dress to the composition and recognition of sexual identities and to discuss gender relations.