The 'Beauty' of Male Circumcision in Japan

Gender, Sexuality and the Male Body in a Medical Practice

Bibliographic Data

ID2322355
AuthorsGenaro Castro-Vázquez (0000-0002-6633-747X, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume47
Issue4
Pages687-704
Publication date2013-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0385 • E-ISSN: 1469-8684
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0038038512453794
OpenAlexW2058699731
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited38

This article introduces the construct of 'the beauty of male circumcision' to analyse male circumcision in Japan. Japanese men are largely circumcised at beauty and aesthetic clinics, neonatal circumcision has never been mandatory and no official records are provided, therefore the manuscript offers an iconographic and textual analysis of the information that Japanese men can access to decide whether they want to be circumcised. The analysis is grounded on four axes: medical knowledge, embodiment, gender and sexuality. Although male circumcision has been largely a preventative method against disease, in Japanese settings the surgery is sold as a means to regain control of the body and enhance self-confidence. The male body is seen as a commodity and male circumcision becomes a placebo that works on the psyche of men grappling with gender and sexual matters

Aesthetics · Art · Beauty · Construct (python library) · Health services · Human sexuality · Male circumcision · Population · Psyche · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Demography · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Issues · Gender Studies · Genital Health and Disease · Medicine · Psychology

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