This is a piece by Marilyn Minter! It’s a part of her “Plush” series. I know it’s very suggestive, but that’s why I chose it. Most of Minter’s work focuses on sexuality and sexual liberation, which I think is very important, especially for women. Although it can seem small and insignificant, this portrayal of pubic hair challenges the beauty standards forced upon women in our society. Hair isn’t dirty or unhygienic, and sex is also a natural part of life for a lot of people — I think it shouldn’t be so controversial, and should also be talked about more openly. Everyone is entitled to do whatever they want to their body!
Hi Sofia,
This is a great piece. Women having body hair being looked at as dirty or unhygienic says a lot about or patriarchal society and it’s effect of female beauty standards. Women have to tailor themselves to please the male gaze. Women expected to be practically hairless makes me think of the deeper reasoning to why that is what is said to be attractive to men. Body hair symbolized puberty and becoming a woman, children are hairless. Society facilitates the sexualization of children and young women and this beauty standard furthers this. As you said everyone is entitled to do whatever they want to their body! Sexual liberation encourages women to create their own beauty standard and not feel pressured to fit into patriarchal standards or suit the male gaze.
Sorry I meant Paulina^ 🙂
I LOVE IT! And just like you say, it is suggestive. It doesn’t beat us over the head with it. Very nice.
Paulina,
I also love it along with everything you had to say about it. I think it is important to remind everyone that hair isn’t dirty or unhygienic as society really has set a beauty standard regarding hair that shouldn’t shun out how we are naturally created and those that embrace it. I really like how it makes me almost uncomfortable to see nakedness in public because of how we are raised yet it pushes me to remember that this is all of our truths.
This very eye opening piece of course caught my attention while I was scrolling through the discussion posts. One aspect of the photograph I feel like is overlooked that I immediately noticed is the red nails. I do believe everything has a reason, even nail color and it made me think of when I was little and would want to paint my nails red my mother would always strongly tell me no and that it was a ‘grown up’ or ‘fast’ color so I couldn’t wear it. It also made me think of how now from 18-20 I wear the color red on my nails a lot because it just feels really feminine and I’ve no idea why. I’m not sure if there’s significance in the nail color in the photo but it’s food for thought.
Paulina.
I believe that hair is not dirty or unhygienic, because before there were no razors, or anything to remove hair, and both women and men accepted themselves that way, they did not take it as ugly, simply as something natural and normal in the intimate area. of women, however, since everything was advanced, everything has been changing society, creating more stereotypes regarding the woman’s body that men today find that disgusting. For example, there are still taboos with Afro hair, many people see it as “bad hair or a woman who doesn’t comb her hair” many men prefer women with straight hair to meet standards in society.