Pussy (A Post for International Women's Day)

The term pussy has several meanings and can be used in a variety of ways; some innocent, some insulting, some vulgar. But what most interests is why this word should have become such a popular euphemism for female genitalia, thereby establishing an erotico-symbolic relationship between cats and cunts; small, soft, furry, carnivorous creatures on the one hand – and domestic pets that like to be stroked on the other.

The etymological origin of the word is uncertain; it may simply have derived from a sound used to attract a cat: Here puss, puss, puss! But, by the 17th century, pussy was commonly being used to refer to young women as well as moggies and by the following century it specifically directed us towards their sex organs.

Unsurprisingly, many women now regard pussy as derogatory, demeaning and dehumanising, rather than an affectionate term of endearment. But there are other women who use it quite happily and in preference to any of the other slang terms for vagina. Indeed, some even wear knickers with kittens printed on.

Personally, it’s not a word I’m entirely comfortable with. Not only is it a little too coy for my tastes, but it also lends itself too readily to double entendre and I don’t much like sexual innuendo (whilst conceding that it's long been a crucial component of bawdy humour, from the Barrison Sisters to Mrs. Slocombe). Nor do I see any need to disguise or apologise for biology; there’s nothing shameful about female bodies and the word cunt seems to me much more honest.

Having said that, feminist punk collective Pussy Riot have managed to cleverly invest the word with a new dynamism and militancy, rightly realising that this provocative combination of terms creates a powerful ambiguity and tension. Iggy Azalea’s inspired rap anthem, Pussy, has also helped to revalue the term.

Ultimately, however it’s referred to, we should all learn to love the vagina, celebrate labia pride, and support vulva activism. For where would we be - male or female - without that which Courbet rightly recognised as the Origin of the World ...?

Thanks to Kiranjit Kaur for supplying the image for this post and for her insight on the topic. 

Taste the Rainbow

Taste the Rainbow by Kameolynn: deviantart.com

Left, right, back to the middle / head on swivel, neck till I quivel 

taste the rainbow, taste my Skittles - Iggy Azalea

It has been said that oral sex is as American as apple pie; but this invariably refers to fellatio and not to cunnilingus. It's almost as if the latter is somehow un-American, or a little too exotic. And there also seems to be a very real concern amongst many men that giving head, rather than just receiving it, is unmanly and emasculating; or something rather abject to perform, like all jobs involving physical labour.     

Thus it is that, within the super-macho world of rap, whilst the magic and softness of the cock-sucking female mouth is enthusiastically celebrated, there has been very little sung in praise of pussy-licking. At the very least, we might say this refusal to reciprocate is a little ungenerous. And, as hinted above, a sign of male laziness and insecurity.  

However, things have recently started to change and going down on a girl is now no longer regarded as something to be ashamed of or grossed out by, but is seen rather as the sign of a real man. Suddenly, male rappers are falling over themselves to boast of their skills and techniques in this area; bragging of either how quickly they can make a 'bitch' come, or of how long they can pleasure a woman orally.

Check out, for example, the following three tracks selected by Rebecca Haithcoat of LA Weekly: 

- Eat the Pussy, by Ty$ and Joe Moses ft. Reem Riches and TeeCee4800
- Do It With My Tongue, by YG
- I Will, by Danny Brown.

As Ms Haithcoat nicely points out, the latter scores extra points for rapping that he doesn't even care if a real cunt doesn't taste of fruit Skittles.

White Skin, Black Mask: The Case of Iggy Azalea

Photo of Iggy Azalea: www.iamhiphopmagazine.com

According to one of her critics - and she has many - Australian-born rapper and model Iggy Azalea is hip hop's nightmare; a privileged blonde white girl who plays with African-American identity and exploits black culture and history, reinforcing the very worst racial and sexual stereotypes in the process of making mega-bucks for herself and the corporate-media pimps she hustles for.*

Now, whilst I understand and sympathize with this position - which is not simply based on personal hostility, so much as it is rooted in a long and shameful past that only an idiot would seek to deny - I'm wary about sharing or supporting it. Because in order to share and support this view one would have to understand race as an essential categorization.

And that's tricky for me, as I see blackness in terms of artifice and attitude, not authenticity; as a question of style, not soul. I also believe it to be performative; that is to say, a way of walking and talking, as well as dressing, thinking, laughing and loving.

In other words, negritude, because it is culturally constructed, is something that can be legitimately assumed by anyone - even a pale-faced young woman from Down Under. She might be wearing a mask and playing a role - but so are the rest of us - and despite some rather depressing and regrettable aspects of her persona it is important to recognize also the complexity of her performance as a postmodern minstrel. 

* See the essay by Aimee Valinski; Hip Hop's Nightmare - Iggy Azalea, (www.iamhiphopmagazine.com)