人間の「あるべき体毛」の表象は様々な文化の中で時代によって変化してきたが、現代の日本において女性の体毛は「ムダ毛」と名指され、処理すべきものとされる。しかし、これらはつくられた価値観によるものであり、社会に偏在する言説や表象を含む「脱毛文化」がそうさせてきたのだ。本稿は、近年公共空間や私的メディアで展開される脱毛広告を扱いながら、若年女性を一様に脱毛行為へ向かわせる現代日本の脱毛文化の構造を明らかにするものである。若年女性を対象とした脱毛広告は大きく二つのパターンに分類でき、一つは無毛の女性身体を美や快適さと結びつけるポジティブなもの、もう一つは有毛の女性身体の醜さを強調するネガティブなものである。前者は自己肯定感を高めるために脱毛が必要であることを示し、後者はいかに有毛の女性身体が醜いかを「周囲のまなざし」によって裏付け、女性たちを脅迫する。両者が表出するメディアは異なるが、どちらも女性たちを脱毛行為へと促す。 また、「ボディポジティブ」という文脈で、女性の体毛を肯定的に捉えようとする動きが欧米を中心に起こっているが、これらは「特権的な層」に限定され、日本ではそのムーブメントさえも脱毛広告に利用される。体毛の意識化、そしてコントロールすることが促される中で女性たちが体毛に無頓着でいることは許されず、脱毛文化に回収されてしまうのである。 The body hair of human beings has long been the focus of scrutiny across a variety of different cultures. The idea of "what body hair should be" varies by nation, class, and gender, and it has also changed depending on the era. In modern-day Japan, all of womenʼs body hair with the exception of eyebrows, eyelashes, and the hair on the head is labeled as "Unwanted Hair" that must be removed. However, it is important to understand that this idea is based on an artificially constructed sense of value: namely, a "Hair Removal Culture" that is predicated on statements and images dictated by our society. In this paper, with reference to recent hair removal ads, I examine the "Hair Removal Culture" in Japan, which has pressured young women in particular to remove their hair. Hair removal ads are essentially categorized into two types. The first is defined as a positive type, equating the hairless skin of women with beauty and comfort, while the second is a negative one, emphasizing the ugliness of hairy female skin. The former promotes hair removal as a tool to enhance womenʼs self-esteem, while in contrast, the latter insists on the ugliness of hairy female skin and can be construed as a kind of threat against women. As advertisements, both of them urge women to remove their hair. An important aspect to consider in this context is the "body-positive" movement, a push to think positively about all aspects of a womanʼs body, including hair, which has gained clout mainly in western countries. However, it is typically limited to the "privileged class". The society of modern-day Japan has become unacceptable for all women to be in-different to their body hair, and so they are forced to live in this "hair removal culture".
aa12781506vol7pp45-61.pdf
