This weeks readings on sexual citizenship, pornography and the racing of sex and sexing of race, got me thinking about the growing and very popular trend of shaving “down under.” Shaving pubic hair has a long history going back to ancient Greece, which has now become a controversial topic and act that is increasingly being done and debated. With little representation of what an actual and everyday woman is in pornography and the media, who can really know how many woman are being influenced by this idea of how a women’s sexual parts should look like. The argument on anti-shaving comes from the idea that shaving is a media and male created model of what female beauty is, which probably comes from the representations of woman in pornography.
Today, woman and men see not shaving pubic hair as a big, “no no.” Women who do not shave down there are often seen as women who does not take care of themselves, as well as being vulgar and dirty. Today’s culture has made it clear that for women who have hair anywhere other than the top of her head is gross and unacceptable. Shaving pubic hair is also seen as women making themselves and presenting themselves as weaker and vulnerable, since shaving pubic hair makes you completely naked and child-like.
What's really interesting is how you can google the word pubic hair and be linked to many different websites and resources about how to trim your hair, how to dye it, style it and how to shave it all off. And of course, America is now seeing minor industries popping up everywhere that sell woman products and services to achieve this certain look.
As Nagel says in her article, she talks about how ethnic boundaries and sexual boundaries join together to form barriers that hold some people in and keep others out, “to define who is pure and who is impure, to shape our view of ourselves and others, to fashion feelings of sexual desire and notions of sexual desirability, to provide us with seemingly “natural” sexual preferences for some partners…” I understand this may be a “too much information” type blog entry, but how do you think the readings tie in to this particular topic? Does a women shaving her pubic hair give her some type of sexual citizenship? What does this popular social practice say about woman and the social constructions of sexuality in today’s society?
I definitely feel as though the readings tie into this topic and the element of both sexual and gendered citizenship. I have heard a myriad of differing opinions and responses to the idea of a woman shaving her pubic hair and it definitely something that is not only looked down upon if not done, but has literally ended relationships because the feminine counterpart chose not to do so. According to Nagel “Sexuality is less likely than ethnicity to be seen by scholars or, I expect, by most readers of this book, as a social construction (7)”. In this case, sexuality is the exact opposite and whether a woman is technically a citizen of womanhood is also socially defined by whether or not her goodies are shaved.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing blog post in that it also brings in to questions whether or not women really define citizenship in this way themselves. It seems as though this is a very male-dominated discourse and one that is also facilitated through women’s bodies.
Lastly, with regard to women’s citizenship and society’s construction of the importance of shaving there, I feel as though it really provides a very primitive example of how much the importance of sexuality weighs on society’s relationships and how completely stupid of a marker this is for sexuality.
A few years ago I was talking to some friends about this topic. I had decided that there is some sort of interesting relationship between what a man finds (from the "dominant" perspective) attractive in a woman and pedophilia (I'm sure someone has done some research on the issue). I suppose this is sort of my answer to PoxieJunior's final question ...
ReplyDeleteWow. This blog is so relevant to the reading. It seems like ethnicity has falling into the dominant society, who says what is right for women or "girlylike" sexually, physically, and mentally. Women pubic hair has been commodified in media. They have been advertsing shaving materials and brands for the women and men. Now you see more women products. It has been socialized to different ethnics as acceptable. So, they try to fit that standard to being most likely approached. Is it sexuality over ethnicity when finding a mate?
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else, great blog post.
ReplyDeleteThis also reminds me a lot of the movie that we watched about the hairdressers in Afghanistan (Beauty Academy of Kabul) and the way that the notions of beauty vary from culture to culture. I would be surprised to find out that the women in these cultures practiced similar methods of "purity" in terms of their body hair as we do in America. Sexuality is constructed differently in different cultures and this notion of purity and 'cleanliness' that this topic brings up is very clearly something that is inconsistently defined and socially constructed.
This conversation... I've had SOO many debates about this. My mom's theory is that men want women to look prepubescent, which is true because that's what they are looking at. EEK! Talk about hegemonic discourse! Nagel's discussion seems to be so contemporary in the sense that although we often know that race is a socialized construct, along with gender, sex, sexuality, etc. but the actual expression of sexuality (no matter the orientation) is also extremely socialized and dependent upon hegemony. Is there anything that I live by that is not socially constructed?!
ReplyDeleteTowards the end of Nagel's introduction, the piece does discuss how crucial heteronormative practices has set the standard for western sexuality. What is so interesting is the ideology that a shaved private area is sexually conscious and almost deemed as mature is clearly a hegemonic construct developed by the heterosexual male. Right? YET, even now in homosexual relationship is this ideology brought forth. Same-sex couples are socially constructed to think that shaving one's private area is just everyday expression of sexuality? Yet there is a reason why there is hair there! How can we not question these things? Excellent post!
This topic came up on Jezebel, an online magazine, the other day and it's definitely relevant, here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://jezebel.com/5520719/french-vogue-features-crystal-renn-and-her-pubic-hair
European fashion magazines are not known for being too conservative with their editorial shoots, but the May issue of Paris Vogue features a "plus size" model who, in one photo, is unapologetically nude and actually has pubic hair.
I'm not sure if it's as big of a deal in France, I'm going to assume that it isn't but correct me if I'm wrong. I think that this is a very clear example in support of much of sexuality being socially constructed, as Tichina mentioned, since it is such a recent phenomenon but extremely pervasive.
I do not believe that a woman gain sexual citizenship by shaving her pubic hair. Because even if a woman doesn’t she is still allowed to have sex, will still have sex with her. I feel it’s a preference that some women follow and others don’t. However do believe has nothing to do with citizenship.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting blog! The question of whether women shaving pubic hair can give them some sort of sexual citizenship reminded me of a conservation from my friend (called “F”) and her female-to-male transgender friend (called “J”). F is a butch lesbian from Hong Kong and J is a white American, who is in a relationship with another female-to-male transgender male. To me, J’s sexuality and sexual orientation are a bit complicated to categorize. But it is clear that J does not conform to the gender/sex norms. However, when J knew that F had never shaved her pubic hair, J was very shocked and told F that, in U.S., it’s considered ‘rude’ or vulgar to not to shave pubic hair. I’m not sure if J referred to only women or he actually included men. But it is interesting to see how the idea of shaving pubic hair is normalized among (white) Americans (women) despite that J doesn’t follow many other gender/sex norms. I don’t want to overgeneralize with only one conservation. But I see that the social/cultural practice of shaving pubic hair, in some degrees, gives women sexual and/or gender citizenship.
ReplyDeleteWOW this is so funny, I was just watching the Price of Beauty with Jessica Simpson she when to Brazil and learned why Brazilian women get waxed to remove their pubic hair. I don't necessary know if shaving pubic hair gives a sexual citizenship however I do believe that it does give a women a sense of beauty and pride about her body and sexuality. I guess that could be viewed as citizenship. The discussion the social practice of a bare genital area is representative of a social construction of innocence and purity in regards to sexuality. This blog definitely ties into the readings, especially Nagle's discussion of hegemony and the social construction of sexuality and what is valued by society and what isn't.
ReplyDeletehow do you think the readings tie in to this particular topic? Does a women shaving her pubic hair give her some type of sexual citizenship? What does this popular social practice say about woman and the social constructions of sexuality in today’s society?
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ReplyDeleteGreat topic! why? Because this issue is so embedded in our culture, and "naturalized" that we don't raise questions about it. I tell you I hate shaving my legs... I still remember female and male friends saying how gross that was.
ReplyDeleteThis really connects with Foucault, when he talks about biopolitics. I mean this is not in the same level as sterilization,or incarceration of prostitutes as shown in Briggs reading but the discourse is the same.
Some structure/figure of power: man, patriarchy, government policies, colonizers etc. establish and produce discourses of behavior
that if people, in this case women, don't follow they will be punish.
"Moreover, the claim to be able to rectify and manage working-class women's sexuality and labor was made by embodying certain kinds of gendered behavior." (Briggs 65)
I THINK SHAVING IS PUNISHMENT ENOUGH... gender behavior!
and how about guys shaving?!?! That also was seeing as the feminization and weakening of the male body.
I don't think it should be a way of woman gaining sexual citizenship but i do believe that the media and that people are definitely starting to take to this and will soon embed it into all the all ritualistic things one has to do to fit into societies perfect mold. And I definitely agree with Nibia on men shaving I remember a time when shaving was not a masculine thing for me to do and if I'm not mistaken in many places and to many people it still isn't but i know men who do it all the time and that definitely doesn't take away from them gain sexual citizenship.
ReplyDeleteAudrey--no. there isn't. eek. no worries though, ME NEITHER. ALL OF US ARE CURSED
ReplyDeleteaaaaanyway, I think nagel's narrative about moving out of the cleveland proper and into the suburbs because of an influx of black students at her high school COUPLED with the timing--pubescence--really ties in issues of race and class WITH sex....which begs the question, in response to this post:
To what extent is the "bare down there" phenomenon a classist one?
When I ask those bikini waxers how much they are paid, they tell me 40 to 60 dollars a pop....
Is this a movement that will eventually have ramifications that separate and segragate demographics based on its unaffordability?
And let's face it, the luxury of pubic vanity must be reserved to the individuals and communities that can afford the time to think about it......
WOW...such a provocative topic, but interesting and exciting at the same time!! I have been involved in many debates with both men and women on this topic and I have to say that it can be a sign of not necessarily sexual citizenship but of being more confident in their sexuality and their bodies. However, this topic does tie into the article because we a thing called a Brazilian Wax (go figure), so whenever we think of all things associated with Brazilian culture, we cannot help but think about beautiful women, their perceived hypersexuality, and their hairless pubic areas. Is this by coincidence that it is called a Brazilian wax, and how we associate Brazilian women as being the most sexual?
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ReplyDeleteAs Nagel discusses, discourse, including sexual discourse works to police bodies and include and exclude certain groups based on where the standard is socially constructed. Yet, as we have discussed boundary lines are gray and continuously evolving along with culture. I think this topic is a great example of how social constructions become internalized causing individuals to act a certain way, and as Foucault would say, disciplining or "punishing" of the body occurs when the individual doesn't act the "right" way. The idea of shaving pubic hair is definitely tied to a heteronormative white male gaze and the social constructions of sexuality and what's considered "beautiful" and even "acceptable." I would argue that this acceptability is inextricably linked to the representation of female bodies in pornography, which has a dominant male audience. I also agree that it is tied to the cultural. The idea of the "Brazilian wax" is definitely something in that women comparatively discipline their bodies with what's considered "beautiful." Although the notion of beauty is socially constructed, women want to feel beautiful and so will discipline their bodies in accordance with what culture says is "beautiful" or "sexy." Just from personal experience, I have been around males who say women who don't shave (legs, armpits, pubic area, basically anything other than head- a woman's head of hair is valued sort of in an opposite way) are seen as gross! I've also been around males and females who say men who shave are feminine or metrosexual. Interesting discourse here, great post! pre-blog Kelly Necastro
ReplyDeleteI think this post is on point, and the Nagel reading ties really well into the issue of women's beauty rituals. If we think about it, getting rid of our pubic hair is so ridiculous - and there is no real reason why we should be repulsed by a non-shaved pubic area. This ties into ideas of naturalized beauty and how in the West we have come to accept the hairless female body as ideal.
ReplyDeleteContinuing with the arguments posed by Nagel - I wonder what the racial implications for such sexual and beauty practices are.
This post plays in perfectly with what we've been reading this week, especially this notion of a perfect beauty, or body type. There is this perceived notion that there is one type of beauty that has to obtained, thus why all women must shave their legs, wear the new rebok butt shoes (sorry mean easy tone), be a size zero and on and on. As we need that Linda Wong and Asia are both perfect examples of this race neutral image. How the shaving of hair create a race neutral body / beauty?
ReplyDeleteI think the whole idea centered around sexuality and gender as a performance is fascinating especially when we put it together with race, a concept that is based purely on physical characteristic and subsequent assumed determining qualities of a person.
ReplyDeleteThe performance of pubic maintenance, for lack of a better work, is fascinating when we consider who these images are consumed by, for what purposes, and who enforces and creates these images to begin with, especially when we consider the dominant male gaze in patriarchal western society.
I look forward to complicating this discourse in class using Nagel's intro as a guide to figuring out how we can use discourse around race and sexuality to learn more about their intersections as well as other identity markers and negotiations.
Whew, great post,
ReplyDeletethis post is awesome for the reading that was given for this class discussion. I agree with a lot that is being said by my classmates. Sexual citizenship in a way is kind of obscene to me. But yet it what we indulge in to feel as if we are functioning normally in the means of society and sexuality. When it comes to shaving "down under" and the discourse that it presents many with, it clear that many believe it is important that women indulge in such rituals and if she doesn't she is not feminine or clean. This is sad that such a behavioral action/habit has become a form sexual citizenship and this big of importance.
Just as Lena said in her blog posting, I too, engaged in several debates with both men and women about body hair and who (as far as gender goes) should have it. Well, the thing to keep in mind that body politics is interlinked with sexuality. Sexuality is raced as we recently discovered in previous reading material online. I think that at this point in time, this form of body politics is an attempt to dictate and illustrate issues of power in our society. Being as though we are who we represent, then, a woman with a lot of hair on her body, in any culture, signifies poor hygiene, an issue of class, or it could simply mean that the person is natural. Either way, she is judged based on fallacies typically known as stereotypes and her life's experiences (good or bad) is dictated by the impact of her representation as a very "masculine" woman that possess visible markers of butch lesbianism or something that she would typically dissociate herself from to avoid any additional forms of marginalization. This is only an example. This is not a direct reference to anyone.
ReplyDelete