I first heard of anal bleaching or whitening in a Saturday Night Live skit three or four years ago. Considering the source I thought it was pretty funny and far out jab at some of the ridiculous cosmetic procedures being performed these days. A few months after that a female colleague was telling me about a bizarre article she had read in Marie Claire about this practice and also bleaching of the vulva. I was astounded to learn that it was not just an SNL joke!
Why on earth would a woman want to do this? Where did this originate from. What is the procedure?
Why on earth would a woman want to do this?
Beauty, insecurity....
Where did this originate from?
I'd say it's part of the culture in which beauty can be constructed through plastic surgery. Insane beautystandards&ideals mostly. It feeds on the insecurity of a large group of (wo)men. Maybe a bit on vanity as well. The pornindustry could have a great influence on this particular thing. Same as a growing group of women try to have their vulva's turned into "porn-pussies", men try to pump up their penises, people want the pink anus they see on the screens. Perhaps even consider their own not normal, ugly and something to feel deeply ashamed of...
However: there is a thin line between culture and entertainment, as entertainment is part of our culture. What the public likes to see (cultural beauty-ideal), is depicted in (erotic) entertainment. In turn: the public makes an example out of such entertainment. This goes mainstream and ultimately dies out... (like the innovation curve of Rogers:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everett_Rogers) So we should be careful when "blaming" or pointing out the exact origin.
What is the procedure?
The skin is naturally a few shades darker in this area. Mostly they use creams to make the skin a little lighter. Site that explains it quite thoroughly (interesting; this is a site for gay men, so I wonder why this thread is about women... ;))
[url=http://gaylife.about.com/od/healthfitness/a/analbleaching.htm]Anal Bleaching - What You Need To Know About Anal Bleaching or Lightening
Personally; NO WAY! I like to keep it the place where the sun doesn't shine with a little dark star at the horizon ;):):D
@Red Rose - The women in porn movies have pink anuses (ani)? I don't watch porn, but what little I have seen they look normal. The highest concentration of melanin in the body is in the genitalia and I suppose around the anus. But as to the culture of beauty when did anal bleaching become a standard of beauty? Why would anyone be insecure about the color of the skin around her anus? Who even looks? The question is about women because it was a woman who told me about it after reading an article in a women's magazine. Men are doing it too? Maybe it's time to move to another planet.
You are quite correct about "those" areas being darker than other parts of the body. They also become darker with age. The skin is twisted and rubbed with sex, bowel movements, sitting, walking and just simple aging. The youth culture wishes to resist anything that indicates age or aging. There are many products popular in different parts of the world that are sold to lighten skin - all skin. Many of these products are banned from retail sales in Europe.
OK, that is what I know to be fact. The rest is up to you and I am certain that there are many sites that sell this crap and nearly as many that analyze the desire to use potent chemicals on or near very sensitive areas. I wash my bottom with baby shampoo so you can imagine how the thought of this grates on me.
[QUOTE=dlb;261976]@Red Rose - The women in porn movies have pink anuses (ani)? I don't watch porn, but what little I have seen they look normal. The highest concentration of melanin in the body is in the genitalia and I suppose around the anus. But as to the culture of beauty when did anal bleaching become a standard of beauty? Why would anyone be insecure about the color of the skin around her anus? Who even looks? The question is about women because it was a woman who told me about it after reading an article in a women's magazine. Men are doing it too? Maybe it's time to move to another planet.[/QUOTE]
I'm certainly no expert on porn as well ;) But from porn that I've seen, I've been surprised about there being hardly any difference in color... I read an article on what influences beauty-ideals of area's normally no-one would even care about, but o boy; we do. Basically the article associated the phenomenon of anal bleaching and genital surgery to: pornography, fear of aging (as Brandye also point out), the paradox of an area being both cultural "dirty" as "sexual", the expectation of being sexualy more exhibitionistic and adventurous, individualistic culture in which "we want it all" and all needs to be perfect; if not, you either are put aside or put others aside. Which only raises the need of being attractive in every way. It specifically referred to the growing group of women trying to be a good daughter, a loving mother, an amazing and adventurous lover, the perfect employee with great career, etc and keep that gorgeous body in the meanwhile running to the gym, the beauty salon and plastic surgeon. And what if we are not perfect? We fear we lose things, people, ourselves. In a certain way it doesn't matter who "looks" or who "sees" the imperfection. It becomes a big issue in the mind, blown up. And even worse: instead of thinking of it as "not perfect" we think of it as "not normal".
I think anal bleaching stems from our desire to be "flawless".
Very interesting,i have never really noticed any difference in my skin colour and i don't watch porn but i find this practice very bizarre and like RedRoses i don't want to indulge in anything like that.Eeeww yukk!!!
[QUOTE=RedRoses;262100]I think anal bleaching stems from our desire to be "flawless".[/QUOTE]
In which case my only thought is - what a twisted society we have become. And I wonder, does this bizarre practice occur only among white people or do people of other colors indulge in it also? That would make it all the more bizarre.
It is twisted; very true! Although we shouldn't blow this out of proportion, cause I really don't think it happens that often... But I have recently participated as a volunteer in a project that tries to fight shame of our bodies, specifically genital area. So "shame" is a hot topic. And I do think that the more easily it gets to correct and adjust our bodies, the more quickly people may take those options, instead of working on their shame and twisted body-image. Which is sad, but not all hope is lost! People are also amazingly flexible and have the ability to learn and change. So hope you stick around on this beautiful planet a little longer, DLB :)
See above: "There are many products in many parts of the world......" I have seen the products in S Asia, Africa, Caribbean and Europe. It is the white folks that worry about those parts. In China, for instance, or Japan, or parts of India, lightness of complexion is desirable. We Euro-types tend to use the products more specifically.