scholarly journals “I Like it Clean”: Brazilian Waxing and Postfeminist Subjectivity Among South Asian Beauticians in London

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandita Dutta
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Self ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
South Asian Women ◽  
Women's Bodies ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Aesthetic Labor ◽  
Global North

Postfeminism is a neoliberal sensibility that locates femininity in the body, thereby imploring women to constantly labor on, monitor and discipline their bodies. This aesthetic labor is presented to women as freely chosen and empowering. Brazilian waxing is exemplary aesthetic labor directed at the self. Academic literature on aesthetic labor in general, and Brazilian waxing in particular, looks at white and middle-class women, as this category of women is considered the putative subject of postfeminism. Little attention is paid to racialized women from the global south who perform aesthetic labor on other women’s bodies in the global north. In this paper, I draw on my ethnographic study of two beauty salons in London run by South Asian women to argue that these South Asian beauticians are postfeminist subjects as well. The aim of challenging the putative subject of postfeminism, using the example of Brazilian waxing, is not merely to include South Asian women in the discourse, but to advance a transnational theorization of postfeminism. Such theorization, I demonstrate, leads to a better understanding of how postfeminism is implicated in global structures of power as well as the affective qualities of postfeminism including intimacy and disgust.

(Un)Settling Imagined Lands

2019 ◽  
pp. 174-208
Author(s):  
Kakali Bhattacharya
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
South Asian Women ◽  
The South ◽  
Global North ◽  
Research Praxis ◽  
Global Agenda ◽  
Academic Discourses

De/colonial methodologies and ontoepistemologies have gained popularity in the academic discourses emerging from Global North perspectives over the last decade. However, such perspectives often erase the broader global agenda of de/colonizing research, praxis, and activism that could be initiated and engaged with beyond the issue of land repatriation, as that is not the only agenda in de/colonial initiatives. In this chapter, I coin a framework, Par/Des(i), with six tenets, and offer three actionable methodological turns grounded in transnational de/colonial ontoepistemologies. I locate, situate, and trace the Par/Des(i) framework within the South Asian diasporic discourses and lived realities as evidenced from my empirical work with transnational South Asian women, my community, and my colleagues. Therefore, I offer possibilities of being, knowing, and enacting de/colonizing methodologies in our work, when engaging with the Par/Des(i) framework, with an invitation for an expanded conversation.

Emotional and Domestic Territories: The Positionality of Women as Reflected in the Landscape of the Home in Contemporary South Asian Women's Writings

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1097-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
LISA LAU
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Family System ◽  
Contemporary Literature ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
The Body ◽  
Domestic Space ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
South Asian Women ◽  
The Social ◽  
Hostile Environments

The division of domestic space within South Asian households is indicative, and even reflective, of the social status of South Asian women. This article argues the dependence of South Asian women's positionality upon their position within the confines of the home, making a case for the correlation between women's domestic roles and their (self and social) identities.Through an analysis of the contemporary literature written by South Asian women, this article will analyse the joint family system, with its particular gendered spaces and hierarchies of power, exploring how these dictate and limit the interaction of its members, and pattern the relationships formed within them.The positionality of second wives will also be investigated, to trace exactly how the newcomers establish themselves in relatively hostile environments. The body language of the women will be paid particularly close attention, as much of what is being investigated is often not directly verbalised.This article also examines how the private spaces of home can be both sanctuary and prison for South Asian women. It will be seen that for South Asian women, not only their identities, but their survival, may be dependent on their successful staking out of positions within their domestic territories.

scholarly journals Gestational diabetes mellitus: a qualitative study of lived experiences of South Asian immigrant women and perspectives of their health care providers in Melbourne, Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mridula Bandyopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Gestational Diabetes ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
South Asian Women

Abstract Background South Asian women are at a high risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus than other women in Australia. Gestational diabetes affects up to 14–19% of all pregnancies among South Asian, South East Asian, and Arabic populations placing women at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although, gestational diabetes resolves after childbirth, women with gestational diabetes are up to seven times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes within five to ten years of the index pregnancy. Increasingly, South Asian women are being diagnosed with gestational diabetes in Australia. Therefore, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the lived experiences of South Asian women and their experiences of self-management and their health care providers’ perspectives of treatment strategies. Methods Using an ethnographic qualitative research methodology, semi-structured one-on-one, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 21 health care providers involved in gestational diabetes management and treatment from the three largest tertiary level maternity hospitals in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 South Asian women post diagnosis between 24–28 weeks gestation in pregnancy. Results Health care providers had challenges in providing care to South Asian women. The main challenge was to get women to self-manage their blood glucose levels with lifestyle modification. Whilst, women felt self-management information provided were inadequate and inappropriate to their needs. Women felt ‘losing control over their pregnancy’, because of being preoccupied with diet and exercise to control their blood glucose level. Conclusions The gestational diabetes clinical practice at the study hospitals were unable to meet consumer expectations. Health care providers need to be familiar of diverse patient cultures, rather than applying the current ‘one size fits all’ approach that failed to engage and meet the needs of immigrant and ethnic women. Future enabling strategies should aim to co-design and develop low Glycaemic Index diet plans of staple South Asian foods and lifestyle modification messages.

scholarly journals A systematic review of barriers and enablers to South Asian women’s attendance for asymptomatic screening of breast and cervical cancers in emigrant countries

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e020892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Mary Anderson de Cuevas ◽  
Pooja Saini ◽  
Deborah Roberts ◽  
Kinta Beaver ◽  
Mysore Chandrashekar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
South Asian Women ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Breast And Cervical Cancer ◽  
Social Structural ◽  
Behavioural Factors ◽  
Screening Attendance

ObjectivesThe aim of this review was to identify the cultural, social, structural and behavioural factors that influence asymptomatic breast and cervical cancer screening attendance in South Asian populations, in order to improve uptake and propose priorities for further research.DesignA systematic review of the literature for inductive, comparative, prospective and intervention studies. We searched the following databases: MEDLINE/In-Process, Web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, CDSR, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES from database inception to 23 January 2018. The review included studies on the cultural, social, structural and behavioural factors that influence asymptomatic breast and cervical cancer screening attendance and cervical smear testing (Papanicolaou test) in South Asian populations and those published in the English language. The framework analysis method was used and themes were drawn out following the thematic analysis method.SettingsAsymptomatic breast or cervical screening.ParticipantsSouth Asian women, including Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bhutanese, Maldivian and Nepali populations.Results51 included studies were published between 1991 and 2018. Sample sizes ranged from 25 to 38 733 and participants had a mean age of 18 to 83 years. Our review showed that South Asian women generally had lower screening rates than host country women. South Asian women had poorer knowledge of cancer and cancer prevention and experienced more barriers to screening. Cultural practices and assumptions influenced understandings of cancer and prevention, emphasising the importance of host country cultures and healthcare systems.ConclusionsHigh-quality research on screening attendance is required using prospective designs, where objectively validated attendance is predicted from cultural understandings, beliefs, norms and practices, thus informing policy on targeting relevant public health messages to the South Asian communities about screening for cancer.PROSPERO registration numberCSD 42015025284.

scholarly journals Group psychological intervention for postnatal depression: a nested qualitative study with British South Asian women

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumna Masood ◽  
Karina Lovell ◽  
Farah Lunat ◽  
Najia Atif ◽  
Waquas Waheed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Postnatal Depression ◽  
Psychological Intervention ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
South Asian Women

scholarly journals Physical Activity in First Generation South Asian Women Living in Canada: Barriers and Facilitators to Participation

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiruthika Rathanaswami ◽  
Enrique Garcia Bengoechea ◽  
Paula Louise Bush
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
South Asian Women ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Women Employees ◽  
The Individual

The aim of this study was to understand the physical activity (PA) experiences of South Asian women employees and their perceptions of new immigrant South Asian women in regards to barriers and facilitators to participation. This was examined using an interpretive description approach where similarities and differences between South Asian Women’s Centre employees and their perception of new South Asian immigrants were explored. Eight South Asian women employees (Mean age = 45.57 years) working at a South Asian Women’s Centre in Canada participated in this study. Five South Asian women employees participated in a focus group, three in an individual interview and one participant from the focus group took part in a follow-up interview to better understand their PA experiences. Barriers found included: family responsibilities, upbringing, feeling guilty, immediate living environment, clothing, cost, and location of activity. PA facilitators found included: help at home, cultural sports events, group support, female only programs, design of PA facilities, health and self-image benefits, providing PA for children at the same time as adults and collaborations. The main differences found between South Asian Women’s Centre employees and their clients concerned time, language and their partners. For this population of women, programs need to be affordable, close to home, female only and allow their own choice of clothing. The results suggest the importance for those working with South Asian women to take into consideration the many factors between the individual and the environment that may inhibit or facilitate PA behavior change in this population.

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