After being in class today and having such an extensive discussion regarding body hair and the importance of it in the formation of sexual practices, feelings and ethnic identities, I feel as though the performative act of having hair (in general) is one that aids in the definition of our social sentiment as a country and society. This topic has truly made me wonder about the optimism and ability of our perspectives to adjust to those that are more reminiscent of developing ideals where we're encompassing a gender neutral and more understanding conceptualization of how the opposite gender is feeling. When Nagel speaks of sexuality and race, she states "Urban racial segregation is only one of a number of areas of social life in the United States and elsewhere where the sexual underlies and even magnifies the racial (3)." Therefore, in the midst of this dialogue regarding sexual behavior and shaving of the "goodies", we must also contemplate the discourse that's created when the ideas of sexuality and the markers of such are openly pending on social accountability and policing.
In addition to the above, the thought of parallelism is also creeping into our discussion atmosphere as it's appearing that we're moving toward gendered homogeneity. Both men and women shave multiple areas on the body, depending upon the culture, but there's a split in the dichotomy regarding reasoning, cultural goal in the shaving and when the shaving's appropriate. Therefore, the question that I pose to you all is whether or not we're moving toward a society of previously separated gendered practices that are now becoming more homogenized? Or are the hegemonic authorities slowly changing our perception of what it means to truly be either male or female and how the performance of those roles are evolving?
Great blog, very insightful! To answer your question though, I feel that our society is moving towards more homogeneous gender practices. I don't feel that hegemonic authorities is changing the perception of what is means to be male or female, how I do feel that it is change the way people perform gender. I feel like the "metro-sexual" male that is displayed in the media is a testament to this theory of performance evolution. The classification of a new sexuality is definitely a notion that has been socially constructed. I feel like different cultures shave/ don't shave their pubic area for different reasons based off of what they very as beauty and/or acceptable.
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ReplyDeleteI think hegemony still works to reinforce the standard of white heteronormative masculinity and femininity, however I think slowly the dichotomy of male and female is blurring to emphasize variance and difference as norm, especially as the notion of social constructionism replaces essentialism. Gender roles are following alongside. I thought the example of "The Situation," being a very male body, questioning his degree of masculinity, as well as the example of Puerto Rican men being hairless in their country but not in the US, really speaks to the performance of gender and sexuality. We are constantly policing and disciplining our bodies in accordance with what culture (we're currently situated in) tells us. Going off of Nagel, I would argue that the sexual "underlies and even magnifies" more than just the racial. The sexual is inextricably tied to other constructs including the political and economic, to inform social relations. During our discussion on the shaving of body hair in respect to both genders and double standards, I couldn't help but think about hair in the locale of the head. Long, flowing locks are seen (greatly through advertising) as attractive/beautiful/sexual on a female. Very short hair on a girl can be labeled as masculine. Full heads of hair are also thought to be desired on a male, and the lack of hair can contribute to a lack of manhood and self-esteem. Yet, bald men are often labeled hypermasculine. Color of hair is another concept and brings rise to such stereotypes as the "dumb blond, "mysterious brunette," and "ginger." It is amazing how the concept of hair can be used as a vehicle to analyze the sociocultural. post-blog Kelly Necastro
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kelly Necastro. I remember growing up my mother told me that if you want to be ladylike, shave your legs because men see that as gross. The roles of women have changed over the years. Some people had hair on their body for cultural reasoning. I think hegemonic authorities have took upon the job to introduce shaving materials in the media for women especially for the legs. Does this means that female roles are being justified by media thoughts or the people who produce the products?
ReplyDeleteI would say that female AND male roles are being justified by the media and the people who produce the products and this trickles down to the authorities in our life (parents, teachers, etc) who tell us that we need to practice certain norms such as shaving and personal hygiene. I think the various examples of different society's norms (such as in Hong Kong where shaving your forearms is extremely important) demonstrates who each culture has different ideas of beauty as well as of personal hygiene.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with the second option to that question, that our perception of sexual practices is a result of homogenizing authorities. Nagel writes a lot about different sexual customs and beliefs of different ethnic groups, but she also talks about the way that different cultures or nationalities find this to be an important part of their identity. I think that the culture of the person, meaning things like religion, and the specific country in which they inhibit is the most important factor in determining how the individual will carry out things like shaving the private parts. The homogenizing agents are truly the customs of each gender for that country. However, I do not think that ethnicity is necessarily important. For example, I do not think that there are different norms of shaving for white American males and Black American males.
ReplyDeleteLast week's class was really enlightening because I wasn't aware of the differences in dealing with hair in places such as Puerto Rico and Hong Kong. While there are plenty of men who shave off all of their body hair (both in other cultures as well as body-builder types in the U.S.) I don't see this as a homogenization of gender practices, but rather a specific fashion that may or may not be long-lasting. Body hair is still very policed, and many women consider it a hegemonic practice forced on women in general (the Vagina Monologues springs to mind).
ReplyDeleteI believe we are moving towards a society where gender practices are becoming homogenized. As Kourtney said we have the “metro sexual” man who enjoys keeping his self up whether it be body waxing, manicure’s and pedicure’s they are doing it. And this behavior is becoming socially accepted. Just as it has become socially acceptable for a woman to shave her head to the point she loses her feminism because she resembles a man. The point is what is good for on gender has slowly become good for opposite sex.
ReplyDeleteBefore I start my academic post, I want to say that I have been telling everyone about our discussion last week, and everyone could relate and asked me what kind of class this is.
ReplyDeleteOk, I do think that gender roles, in terms of shaving, are becoming more homogenous. I agree with Kortney about the whole "metrosexual" phenomenon since men are starting to really care about their looks and how people see them and how they feel about their looks. I even shaved my ex-boyfriend's legs before because he thought they were too hairy. I do not think there is anything wrong with a man wanting to look good and I do not think there is anything wrong with a girl who refuses to shave her legs, that is a personal choice, but I do think the media (commercials, music videos, porn) have a lot to do with how we perceive ourselves in what is expected beauty for men and women.
Great discussion and summing of the class discussion. To answer your question, yes I do feel things are starting to become homogenized. I also feel that as we evolve as a society and culture, American culture, our standards of cleanliness and presentation also evolves. Meaning that we are starting feel that if you want to be perceived as well manner and in tact then you must perform such duties. I think that is how we get the metro-sexual male. And how we now have waxing available for just about everything for a woman. This is a result of how the media perceives these individuals. If you want to be that ideological person that they are presenting us with then you engage in such behaviors. Men will shave their chest so that there muscles can glisten and look perfect with the distraction of hair. And women will definitely shave so that they can look sexy. But you will always have the persons who try to defy those beliefs and believe that their sexiness is defined by not conforming. For example the men who now walk around with the shaggy look (don't shave their face). It finding where do you fit in.
ReplyDeleteAfter our discussion in class, it also came to my attention that attire is a controversial issue in which we can now associate with the foundations and meaning of parallelism thinking of it in a tangible sense. As more and more guys are becoming an increasing part of global consumer aspects, focusing on urban aesthetics, and being a bit free to embody metro-sexual qualities, skinny jeans are being warn by them with pride and dignity. Typically, tight fitting clothes were a symbol of femininity. Now, it is used to represent both men and women in any culture. This is particularly within the youth and young adult cultures of people who are involved and heavily associated with dominant and Western subculture (which is now gone national-or is it the reverse?)
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