Female genital cutting has been prevalent in a number of societies for hundreds of years, but has become more discussed and critiqued in recent years. Once thought to be a barbaric ritual practiced by imbeciles, Western researchers have noticed a substantial increase in similar practices in their own cultures. FGC is an issue that has a number of different focuses and evokes passionate feelings from proponents of the cutting and outsiders who abhor it. Traditionally, FGC was used as a cultural tool to symbolize the protected role of women in Sudanese society. Later groups attempted to stop the practice and to educate or conform the Sudanese to more Western ways. However, these native men and women did not have malice or ill-intent when performing
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Both practices are “derive[d] from a presumption that female bodies are in need of improvement and continuous monitoring”. (61) Here lies the ultimate underlying issue that is responsible for the Western practices of FGC. In Western society, women are often subject to unnatural standards such as those portrayed in pornography or photoshopped magazine covers. It is irresponsible and even repulsive that women are pressured into performing these acts on their body. In Western society, the symbolism and cultural significance associated with tradition FGC in Sudan is completely missing, replaced only by an aesthetic change. Jules Henry is quoted as saying, “One of the rewards of deep thought is the hot glow of anger at discovering a wrong, but if anger is taboo, thought will starve to death.” (Henry, 1963) In Western society, it is apparent to a number of people that there is a fundamental wrong with the practice of FGC upon individuals outside of the traditional culture. Unfortunately, this wrong is not openly discussed and uproar regarding the underlying issue is largely taboo. Remarkably, humanitarian outcry regarding FGC in Africa and other underdeveloped countries runs rampant in Western society. Instead of an …show more content…
Traditional FGC has been in practice for centuries, and it is impossible to attribute the procedure to an individual responsible for its origin. Rather, it is the result of men and women doing what “they [find] easiest and aesthetically most satisfactory.” (Sapir, 558) The traditional practice has immense cultural background and significance, and attempts to quell it often lie with uninformed leaders. The British attempts at eradication were the result of imperialism, conquest, and assimilation rather than a culturally literate mission to protect young girls. Practices of FGC in Western society are aesthetic rather than symbolic and illuminate a topic that is becoming more important yet largely unmentionable in both cultures: the pressure of body image on women. Overall, the practice of FGC is inoffensive but the response to the practice is disconcerting and even upsetting. Anger is largely intolerable in modern Western society. In the words of Jules Henry, “If you cannot tolerate this anger, you are wasting the time you spend thinking deeply.” If our culture is not receptive to outcry and anger about sensitive topics such as female genital cutting, deep thought may indeed
Both practices are “derive[d] from a presumption that female bodies are in need of improvement and continuous monitoring”. (61) Here lies the ultimate underlying issue that is responsible for the Western practices of FGC. In Western society, women are often subject to unnatural standards such as those portrayed in pornography or photoshopped magazine covers. It is irresponsible and even repulsive that women are pressured into performing these acts on their body. In Western society, the symbolism and cultural significance associated with tradition FGC in Sudan is completely missing, replaced only by an aesthetic change. Jules Henry is quoted as saying, “One of the rewards of deep thought is the hot glow of anger at discovering a wrong, but if anger is taboo, thought will starve to death.” (Henry, 1963) In Western society, it is apparent to a number of people that there is a fundamental wrong with the practice of FGC upon individuals outside of the traditional culture. Unfortunately, this wrong is not openly discussed and uproar regarding the underlying issue is largely taboo. Remarkably, humanitarian outcry regarding FGC in Africa and other underdeveloped countries runs rampant in Western society. Instead of an …show more content…
Traditional FGC has been in practice for centuries, and it is impossible to attribute the procedure to an individual responsible for its origin. Rather, it is the result of men and women doing what “they [find] easiest and aesthetically most satisfactory.” (Sapir, 558) The traditional practice has immense cultural background and significance, and attempts to quell it often lie with uninformed leaders. The British attempts at eradication were the result of imperialism, conquest, and assimilation rather than a culturally literate mission to protect young girls. Practices of FGC in Western society are aesthetic rather than symbolic and illuminate a topic that is becoming more important yet largely unmentionable in both cultures: the pressure of body image on women. Overall, the practice of FGC is inoffensive but the response to the practice is disconcerting and even upsetting. Anger is largely intolerable in modern Western society. In the words of Jules Henry, “If you cannot tolerate this anger, you are wasting the time you spend thinking deeply.” If our culture is not receptive to outcry and anger about sensitive topics such as female genital cutting, deep thought may indeed