On Body Hair & Beauty Standards

In this episode, Maria, Trixie, and Céline discuss their relationships to their own bodies, and talk body hair, body shaming, beauty standards, white feminism, and problematic definitions of womanhood. They explore how the policing of bodies' presentation is connected to the upholding of the gender binary and colonial racial categories—and how marginal expressions of beauty, culture, and gender can be a form of resistance. Also, there's ranting about purity culture. This episode is a JOURNEY; buckle in!

A note on language: Céline uses the words “white womanhood” and “white femininity” to describe the intersection of whiteness, or white supremacy, with ideas of femininity and womanhood as enforced by the gender binary. She is not referring to white women specifically, but to the power structures that create and uphold the categories of white and woman.

Language matters, and we’re always learning how we can align our words and conversation closer with generosity and liberation. Got a tip? Email us at resettingthetablepodcast@gmail.com.

Transcript now available: https://resettingthetablepodcast.blogspot.com/2021/03/episode-4-on-body-hair-and-beauty.html

Episode Notes & Annotations

Maria references White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad.

Céline references Cornel West, specifically, the chapter “A Genealogy of Modern Racism” from Prophesy Deliverance: An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity.

The hosts mention two episodes of Reclaiming My Theology podcast with Brandi Miller: Dualism with Randy Woodley, and White American Folk Religion with Jonathan Walton.

Céline’s use of queer theory to interrogate ideas of hair, beauty, race, and gender, is learned in large part from non-binary scholar & social media educator Alok Vain-Menon. Check out their book reports, like “Womanhood as a Racial Project” if you’re interested in reading more on these topics.