In Gray's introduction to Women and Laughter, she describes how in Greek mythology, the maidservant Baubo cheered the goddess Demeter by making obscene jokes (1). Barreca also discusses in They Used to Call Me Snow White... But I Drifted how women "use comedy to narrate their experience and so diffuse the pain" (22). While comedy has many uses, one of the major ways women have used it throughout the centuries is as a coping mechanism to deal with grief and oppression.
One of my favorite things about Baubo's story in particular is how she uses obscene humor by mimicking childbirth and making other smutty jokes. Throughout history, women have consistently been oppressed by men leveraging their sexuality against them, at times calling them prudish, at other times lustful, but always relying on shame to keep women from truly embracing their sexuality.
Even in the modern era, women's bodies are regulated much more than their male counterparts, and most mentions of women's genitals are accompanied by crude jokes mocking their appearance and functions—to the point that cosmetic surgeries and potentially harmful products marketed as "feminine hygiene products" have become normalized aspects of female health (it's worth noting that vaginoplasty is an important procedure that can help people who are transitioning, have medical conditions, or have suffered genital cutting).
One Japanese woman, Megumi Igarashi, also known as Rokudenashiko (which translates to "bad girl" or "good-for-nothing girl"), has combatted female shame in her own way. Her mission statement is to destigmatize female sex organs and repaint them as cute, funny, "casual and pop" through her artwork.
Photo by Vice. Igarashi on the right with costumed Callie Beusman on the left.
Igarashi even went so far as to start a fundraiser to build a kayak... modelled after a 3D image of her own vulva.
Photo by Eigo Shimojo, source: Reuters.
At this point, however, Igarashi ran into some legal troubles. Due to strict obscenity laws in Japan that ban the depiction of genitalia, since 2014, Igarashi has been arrested numerous times. While she was ultimately found not guilty for displaying her artwork (including the kayak) in a sex shop, the reason for the judgement was less than satisfying. The judge deemed that because of the bright colors of the artwork, it couldn't be confused with actual genitalia, and was therefore permissible (it's a good thing she didn't opt for a pink canoe instead). Essentially, despite the fact that her artwork was displayed in a sex shop, where needless to say, it would be displayed amongst many other graphic objects, the subject matter was still deemed problematic. The only reason she was found "not guilty" was because of her choice of color palette. Igarashi was, however, found guilty and forced to pay a ¥400,000 (about $3,600) fine for distributing 3D images of her vulva, which were taken and provided to those who helped her raise funds for the kayak during her fundraising campaign.
Igarashi holding up a sign showing she was found guilty for obscenity. Photo by Yoshiaki Miura.
Despite the legal troubles, Igarashi continued to work on her art, and in 2016, she published a memoir titled What is Obscenity? The Story of a Good for Nothing Artist and Her Pussy.
Igarashi posing with her book in Tokyo. Photo by Yoshiaki Miura.
Igarashi has remained determined in her campaign to prove that there's nothing obscene about the female body. With her adorable artwork as her weapon, I hope we'll continue to see her and others fight against the stereotypes surrounding women's bodies, and help make this a world where every woman can be proud of her sexuality.
And for any of you curious to see more of her artwork, click here to check out a gallery of her works.
Wow what a great post Bethany! I love the way that you related Gray's introduction, which I also found striking, to Megumi Igarashi. Thank you for introducing me to her! I have noticed that in pop culture, the phallus is often much more likely to be regarded as cute and accessible than the vagina, such as the way that bachelorette parties use penis straws, etc. You never see a man at a bachelor party using any vagina themed party favors. I think it is too bad that women still have to be ashamed for their bodies, while mens' bodies are celebrated, and your post did a great job of shedding light on that. Megumi Igarashi in some ways reminded me of Pussy Riot, and the performative ways that they reject gender norms in Russia. Women are tired of being censored by men!
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy_Riot
This is so cool Bethany! What a powerful woman with humor, passion toward self-confidence, and making a stand. It was great to read and to be introduced to her. I am not sure if the post was supposed to make me laugh, but it did. Her actions and stands did not make me laugh, I thought they were awesome. I was mostly laughing at the court, people trying to cause a problem, and her smiling in the photos as a reaction to their behavior toward her campaign. I just thought it was great -- a new look at what we are discussing in this unit!
ReplyDeleteHi Bethany! I think this blog post is fascinating and well written. I wrote about your blog post in my second response paper. Thank you for introducing me to Rokudenashiko. Manko-chan is very cute. Did you know that Manko-chan has a back story? Here is Manko-chan’s story:
ReplyDelete“After four years of harrowing trials and separations, Manko-chan has been emancipated from jail and has found room in her heart for her once nemesis Pipo-kun.“ I love a happy ending! Here a link to postcards depicting Manko-chan’s story https://massive-goods.com/products/manko-chan-postcard-set-by-rokudenashiko
The 3-D vulva kayak is pretty cool too. It also must be well designed, because the photos of it indicate that it is a fully functioning kayak.
I'm glad you found the post interesting enough to write about! I'd never seen the postcard set before, so thanks for linking it. I tried to see if I could find some more recent works by Rokudenashiko for the post, but most of the images I found seemed to be a few years old. While I'm not sure if I would use some of the things I saw in her gallery, the figurines are definitely cute.
DeleteThe kayak is pretty hilarious to me. I still find it funny (though also a bit sad) that the reason it wasn't deemed "obscene" is because it's yellow. I'm not sure if I would have the confidence to make something like that, but I think it's pretty awesome that she was able to.
Good job bridging a connection with Megumi Igarashi to Gray’s, Intro to Women and Laughter and Barreca’s, They Used to Call Me Snow White… But I Drifted! Her determination to end stereotypes and stigmas regarding female sex organs is amazingly portrayed through her artwork. I also like the translation of her other name “Rokudenashiko”. It shows that she’s not afraid to stand up for women against stigmas. I really enjoyed reading this and the pictures. I thought the kayak was a very creative idea by taking it a step further and modeling it of her own vulva. You could see by her smile that she’s proud of her work despite the legal matters.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this woman before so thank you for writing about about a new feminist icon! You made an interesting point connecting the articles of Barreca and Gray. Before i even started reading, as soon as I saw the inflated vulva costume, it reminded of Gray's intro.
ReplyDelete"Throughout history, women have consistently been oppressed by men leveraging their sexuality against them, at times calling them prudish, at other times lustful, but always relying on shame to keep women from truly embracing their sexuality."
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this bit because it points the way society sought out to control women, their bodies, and their sexual appetites. It was dead wrong then and its dead wrong now. I hate ideas that try to force people into corners. Ideas are supposed to allow for more freedom and better circumstances not worse ones. In this kind of finger trap there is no leeway or escape root. To comment on the artist, I have to say she seems like the sexual Lenny Bruce of Japan. Fame and legal battles when the rebel is right to challenge the restrictions of their time, the restrictions that Japan has on this subject seem archaic. I’m on Megumi Igarashi’s side. What she’s doing is both funny and ground-breaking. What’s more entertaining that a funny activist? The fact this post begins with such a insightful and historical backdrop made reading the about Igarashi all the more enjoyable.
I was completely unaware of Igarashi and her work. You presented her story in a very digestible and accessible way. She is making a valuable point about normalizing the human body and her artwork is clever and aesthetically pleasing. (sad that this is still a fight to be had.) Great post.
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