{"id":283,"date":"2018-04-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.lovenselife.com\/uncategorized\/vagina-art"},"modified":"2018-04-12T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T00:00:00","slug":"vagina-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lovense.com\/sex-blog\/fun-weird\/vagina-art","title":{"rendered":"Vagina Art – Megumi Igarashi’s Fight Against Japan for Her Vulva"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. A penis is fantastic. It\u2019s the best thing ever. Let\u2019s make a festival around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Vaginas are horrible, obscene things you should never show to anyone unless he\u2019s your husband taking your virginity or your doctor as you\u2019re giving birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Oh, and child porn cartoons are totally okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pretty much sums up the conflicting, irrational (and infuriating) mentality surrounding Megumi Igarashi\u2019s 2015 legal and social battle between Japan… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 and her vulva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

APRIL MARKS IGARASHI’S ANNIVERSARY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Also going by Rokude Nashiko (which translates as \u201cgood-for-nothing kid\u201d or \u201creprobate child\u201d), Igarashi started as a manga artist who focused on molds of her vagina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy did I start making this kind of art pieces? That was because I had not seen pussy of others and worried too much about mine. I did not know what a pussy should look like at the same time I thought mine is just abnormal,\u201d<\/em> says Igarashi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she got some serious social backlash about her artwork, instead of backing down, she decided to mass-produce her work and get it out there as much as possible.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her collection includes phone cases, necklaces, remote control cars, chandeliers, and more \u2013 the most recognizable one being \u201cdeko-man\u201d (decorated manko\/vagina)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Meet the adorable Deko-man<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the start of her push against the lopsided attitudes in Japanese culture between male and female genitalia… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example is the word \u201cmanko\u201d (pussy) which is always censored in print and forbidden to utter by female broadcasters (to the point of career termination and ruination) \u2013 male broadcasters might get a slap on the wrist.  On the other hand, the male equivalent seems to be a free-for-all, to the point of pop culture status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the uphill battle, things were going as well as could be expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 Until she tried to make a kayak in the shape of her vulva.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

THE FAMOUS PUSSY BOAT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The crowdfunding campaign was simple \u2013 high-level donors received the 3D data of the kayak and all other donors got the 3D scan of her vagina. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

That\u2019s when the Japanese authorities lost their shit. <\/strong>And, in July 2014, the police arrested her on obscenity charges. A week later (and a 21,000-strong petition) found her released from detention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it didn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later that year, she was arrested again (alongside writer Minori Kitahara) on suspicion of displaying obscene objects \u2026 at a sex shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SCARY FACT:<\/strong><\/span> Japanese laws apparently allow law enforcement to hold you up to 23 days without a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mind-boggling court circus didn\u2019t end until 2016, where Igarashi was found innocent on the kayak charges (because it “did not immediately suggest female anatomy”) but guilty of “obscenity electromagnetic record”, and “obscenity electromagnetic recording medium distribution” for the 3D vaginal scans…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

… by a female judge. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The penalty was an estimated $3,500 fine (although I\u2019m hoping she got help for paying her legal fees as well).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIDE NOTE:<\/strong><\/span> As much as everyone was flabbergasted about the female judge ruling the way she did (mass feelings of betraying woman-kind and all), perhaps there was the kindest sentence she could give? It\u2019s utter speculation on my part, but who knows what goes on in political backgrounds and how they might affect the judicial system. It wouldn\u2019t be a stretch to imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A BRIGHT SIDE TO IT ALL<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The after-effects of Igarashi\u2019s ordeal ended up far more pleasant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She published a book, \u201cWhat is Obscenity?: The Story of a Good For Nothing Artist and her Pussy<\/a>\u201d, was welcomed to North America as a celebrated artist, had a baby with her husband Mike Scott (frontman for the Waterboys), and relocated to Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems that Igarashi has taken some much-needed rest and creative freedom over the last couple of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has, however, vowed to continue her fight against Japanese female censorship.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

HER FIGHT ISN’T A SOLITARY ONE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The hypocrisy is widespread across the country in its media, merchandising, and mentalities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting with the very vague legal wording around what makes something \u201cobscene\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 to the point where it boils down to wherever a particular judge or police officer personally feels the line should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, there are the plethora of television shows that demine women<\/strong> (like, \u201chow much change can you catch in your cleavage\u201d) \u2013 and we\u2019re not even touching on Hentai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something else that’s odd…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one hand, hentai censors both male and female genitals equally (ranging from various degrees of pixelation to tiny black squares across the “tip” – but there are still plenty of boobs). And, even though there is a plethora of male-dominating female porn, there is still a fair amount of female-dominating male material out there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Uhhh, you can’t still see plenty…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, it wasn\u2019t until 2014 did the courts rule that child sexual abuse images were illegal \u2013 but they still allowed cartoon depictions of it in manga<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This conflict, however, seems to be more a statement of the mindset of the ruling body rather than the porn industry \u2013 because, porn will make porn, and it\u2019s up to the government to keep it on a leash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe the government isn\u2019t ready to give up their porn taxes yet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Want a better understanding of Japanese Censorship in hentai? Read this:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of Tentacle Porn – Missionaries, Shunga Scrolls, and Censorship <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the more humorous observations came from John Stewart, where he pointed out that \u201cYou arrested a woman for 3d printing her vagina, but you gave dicks their own holiday\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That holiday is the Shinto Kanamara Matsuri (\u304b\u306a\u307e\u3089\u796d\u308a, “Festival of the Steel Phallus”) which is held each spring at the Kanayama Shrine (\u91d1\u5c71\u795e\u793e Kanayama-jinja) in Kawasaki, Japan. It\u2019s an event complete with penis-shaped desserts on sticks, children wearing penis hats or costumes, and a procession with a steel penis in a goddamn mini-shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

JAPAN ISN’T THE ONLY ONE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

None of this is to say that Japan is alone in their hypocrisy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of countries and cultures (if not all) that partake in similar free\/restrictive polarizations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n