- 著者
-
田中 麻子
- 出版者
- 国際基督教大学ジェンダー研究センター
- 雑誌
- Gender and Sexuality (ISSN:18804764)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- no.9, pp.91-112, 2014-03-31
Pubic hair removal has become very normative in recent years, especiallyfor young women in western countries. It has also influenced contemporaryJapanese women in their twenties and thirties. On one hand,“Hygienina,” which is derived from “Hygiene(originally meanscleanliness)”, has been a focal point of cleanliness and fashion in Japan. Onthe other hand, many Japanese women are hesitant to remove all of theirpubic hair because of the stereotype that they are forced to remove it.Further, removal of all of the hair is seen as lewd and instigates socialprejudice. My research was investigated Japanese women’s experiences ofpubic hair removal and social awareness about female genitals and pubichair removal in Japan. I interviewed 65 women who have removed theirpubic hair, and found that the half of interviewees had experiences ofremoving all of their pubic hair, and hair removals were performed for thesake of cleanliness and not for reasons related to sexual activities. I alsoconcluded that in comparison with western countries, Japan has a strongsocial norm not to remove all pubic hair and sexual prejudice againstpeople who deviate from that norm. Furthermore, my research clarifiedthat these women are not only overwhelmed by social norms, but they arealso actively engaged in trying to change social awareness. They are alsobuilding self-esteem through enjoyment of pubic hair removal experience.