Thursday, March 3, 2011

Vaginas, Brazilian Waxes, and a Thing they Call Feminism


I've been reading a lot about Vaginas these days. Let's just blame Facebook and Vagina enthusiasts.

Acutally, it all started with a piece about vaginoplasty. Some crazy thing where women go to get their Vages all cut up and made "normal." Personally, I don't find this shocking at all as we live in a culture that wants to physical perfect everything. It was only a matter of time until the Vag became the next victim of the endless search for perfection and the use of material/physical means to give emotional satisfaction.

What I found shocking was the blatant attack against the Brazilian Bikini wax! I mean, sure we all like to find scape goats but leave my wax alone! Take this for example:

"And so it is that for a woman, to Brazilian wax or not to Brazilian wax becomes a feminist question. “If you wax, you pull [feminism] out by the roots, and therefore you’re no longer a feminist and you have to turn in your Feminist Membership Card,” one blogger wrote on Feministe.us."

Sorry to disappoint you but my feminism is not located in my pubic hair, nor am I making a statement by getting my anus waxed. And it gets worse.

“That leads to the key point any feminist -- card-carrying or otherwise -- must consider when deciding whether waxing is for her: For every Brazilian you get, another woman might feel more pressured to do so. Symbolically speaking, you’re not alone on that salon table, with your ankles up around your ears as you exhale with each rip of the wax strip. And that takes sisterhood to a whole new level. That’s what makes waxing such a slippery-slope of a feminist question -- it’s never going to be a feminist act, but, should you decide to get one, you need to ask yourself some tough questions to make your salon visit at least a little kinder to the sisterhood.”

Now I'm really going to call BULLSHIT on this one! Be kinder to sisterhood? Why doesn't sisterhood go take a nap and give this girl a little break. When did my Vagina become your billboard for your feminism? It's my vagina and so what if she prefers to sport a runway style. Do I give you crap if you wear old birkenstocks and armpit hair? No. To each their own.

As for the wax, personally, I do it for myself. Sure, Mr. Rant is now accustomed to a tamed bush but he would never say anything if I went retro, and I have.  I like a good Brazilian wax. It allows my Vag to freely breath, letting in the open air. I feel I'm giving her a skylight to the world.

And why does getting a wax have to be considered removing your femininity?  I feel it's quite the opposite. It's putting your femininity right out onto the table. I dare you to start comparing vaginas and you'll see a whole lot more on a waxed one, that's for sure.

So leave my Brazilian wax alone and figure something else to overly analyse and use as an excuse for shocking things happening in the world. If we keep this up, Brazilian waxes could be blamed for Afghanistan and there'd be no turning back then.

My standpoint, get it waxed and show the girl off!

As for vaginoplasty, I will let that one stand on it's own.  I can't imagine feeling such disgust for my Vaggie Girl that I would want to get her cut up.  I bet those women are coming from an interesting place and I ask you to not negate their feelings about their Vaginas by blaming society for their decisions.

On a side note, check this documentary on the search for the perfect vagina when you have a chance. It's very interesting, sad, and shocking at the same time. The Perfect Vagina 

12 comments:

  1. When you posted this video on Twitter i watched it right away and was really horrified. I agree the plastic surgery (on any part of the body that isnt to correct a medical problem) is terrible, my first thought was imagine how painful the recovery of an eyebrow, lip or nose is, then imagine it on your vagina OUCH!! jesus christ just the idea is so sad to me, (that 21 year old girl almost made me cry) i mean, little girls in some African countries are mutilated for cultural reasons and here we are, the civilized west, electing to cut up every part of ourselves just to look different. society is going backward on the view/role of women. it's so frustrating.

    BUT i had the exact same thought as you did when they started talking about waxing--what the hell does waxing have to do with cutting off pieces of your body? i mean, for brazilian standards, i am an extreme feminist. for serious, but even though despise most of the shit women are subjected to in brazi, i wax! god damn it, it has nothing to do with feminism. it has to do with how much you want people to see at the beach or how comfortable/dirty/sweaty you feel. damn it. women are lucky that it is acceptable to wax; when it's hot out you feel so much cleaner! my husband wishes he could! i've read a lot of things against brazilian waxes such as women do it so that they look like a child- wtf? and i really just think these are the opinions of people who have never had a wax or worn a bikini.

    we live in a strange world. humans are so strange.

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  2. Great! Now I have an excuse besides being lazy this month. I am just an extreme feminist! Trust me- I am doing this only to be kind to the sisterhood :)

    Sara

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  3. This is just ridiculous for a woman to say that getting a wax equals you're not a feminist. Someone really said that?! It's just crazy! I hate all forms of extremism.

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  4. On the other hand, I had come across the whole vag plastic surgery thing a looong time ago when I saw billboards and looked it up, and they not only cut away labia minora, but plump up with silicone the labia majora. Pair that up with a full Brazilian and those girls in porn mags/vids do look down there more like girls than women, and that's the part I find alarming. VERY alarming, the more I think about it; we're (as a society) allowing men to see these vaginas and think that that's what's normal and sexy... and I just rather not go any further on that thought process!
    If we're only discussing the waxing on it's own, I'm pro a full Brazilian since the time I decided to shave it all off out of curiosity (first day felt great, few days later I was cursing that curiosity with every step), but I don't care what other women do or don't.
    Oh, except for an actress I met once who claimed she'd had rastas on her muffin until she'd gone to the GYN who announced she had to get rid of them as she was housing a full colony of crabs... now, that's just disgusting!

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  5. Clearly, she is in line with second wave of feminism. Unfortunately, the third wave has come and gone. So she is a little out dated. Hey, feminists dont always know what they are taking about. It's gross. Everyone has got to see what ironic and wrong things people say that identify themselves as a feminist.
    But you did what was best, blog about it! Gold star for Rachel.

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  6. Waxing or shaving has nothing to do with feminism, sorry. Aesthetics, sure...but it doesn't stop at women sorry. Men shave their faces, wax their chests...seems to me to be a personal choice, maybe culture dictates a lot of it, but don't you think it's more comfortable to exist with less hair maintenance? HELLO, when you save several minutes each day in the shower not shaving, it adds up to a lot over the course of several years, especially when you're a Mom and live in a local where putting on a bikini is a standard thing about 8 months per year. Does covering your gray roots qualify as anti-feminist too? What's wrong with wanting to look better, simplify your life and more importantly FEEL BETTER about yourself? I'm sorry, why do you have to be hairy to be a card-carrying feminist? Wrong.

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  7. What a coincidence-- I just watched this documentary a few days ago, and have been thinking about it ever since! I was thinking that getting labioplasty actually removes an erogenous zone, much like getting breast implants does, which makes it an even more sad surgery. I was also thinking about the tidbit of info in the video about the vast difference in labia size. It's interesting. And although I felt a little wierd about the whole looking at other people's vaginas therapy, I realize that it's good to understand the diversity. If you've only ever seen the vaginas in porn mags you have a very narrow viewpoint.

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  8. Great story by posting you its very useful for the visitors and I think your job is perfect.

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  9. What great story i love this post and i will say to thank you for the attractive posting.

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  10. I'm late to the party (Vagina-themed posts always seem to draw my attention, though!) - I fail to see how waxing, shaving or any other hair care down there = anti-feminism? I think that ideology is kind of "putting the pu**y on a pedestal", to quote from the 40 Year Old Virgen. Women are NOT their vaginas, we are the sum of so much more. Why should the way I tend (or not) to my vajayjay be the determining factor in my feminism?

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  11. This is just ridiculous for a woman to say that getting a wax equals you're not a feminist

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  12. C'mon. Everyone knows that feminists have hairy armpits and bearded clams.

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