Introduction
The woodblock print “Girl Powdering Her Neck” by Kitagawa Utamaro and the accompanying poem by Cathy Song reflect femininity and beauty in Japanese culture, engaging and complexly. The poster depicts a woman tenderly dusting powder on her neck. At the same time, the poem delves into the speaker’s observation of a similar event and muses on the intricacies of gender and cultural ideals of beauty. Combined, the print and the poem provide an in-depth look at Japan’s complex connection with beauty, gender, and culture. The woodblock print “Girl Powdering Her Neck” and the poem by Cathy Song highlight femininity’s complexities in Japanese society, investigating the interplay of beauty, gender, and societal expectations through rich details and vibrant imagery.
Visual Representation in Utamaro’s Girl Powdering Her Neck
The woman is depicted in minute detail, with her flowy robes and sensitive attributes giving her an otherworldly appearance. The vibrant hues, such as the brilliant crimson of the woman’s lips and the bright yellow of her robe, contribute to the image’s liveliness. The print’s elaborate features imply that the woman is upper class, as her attire and haircut symbolize a higher social rank (Poets). Furthermore, powdering her neck is a statement of beauty and femininity, as women in Japan use cosmetics to enhance their features and show themselves as lovely.
Cathy Song’s poetry also delves into the nuances of womanhood in Japanese culture. The speaker recalls a similar image of a lady powdering her neck, saying, “the woman puts her powder brush/ in a basin of water, then spreads it/ across her neck like a swallow” (Utamaro). The use of strong imagery, such as the reference to a swallow, enhances the beauty of the situation but simultaneously alludes to the temporary aspect of beauty. The speaker remarks that the woman is “dressed like a bride” (Sharma). Hence, emphasizes traditional Japanese expectations of beauty and femininity.
The print and poem investigate Japan’s complex relationship between beauty, gender, and culture. The woman in the print is graceful and attractive, with her use of makeup as a symbol of femininity and cultural beauty demands. Likewise, the poem’s speaker notes that the woman is “careful to hide her flaws,” suggesting that beauty is seen as an ideal that women are expected to achieve (Sharma). Nonetheless, both the print and the verse allude to the transient nature of beauty, implying that it must be kept and cared for over time.
Interpretive Contribution of Cathy Song’s Poem
“Girl Powdering Her Neck,” a poem by Cathy Song, adds depth and complexity to the visual information supplied by Kitagawa Utamaro’s woodcut. While the woodcut depicts a beautiful woman tenderly spreading powder to her neck, the poem delves into the background and significance of this gesture, illustrating Japanese cultural standards of femininity and beauty (Poets). One of the key ways in which Song’s poetry complements Utamaro’s woodcut is by offering insight into the background of the woman’s actions (Sharma). The woodcut depicts a woman powdering her neck, but no background is provided for this action.
In the poem, however, the woman meticulously puts powder on her neck to disguise her defects and show her attractiveness. The speaker observes that the woman is “careful to conceal her imperfections,” implying that beauty is viewed as a type of perfection that women in Japanese society are expected to achieve (Poets). This perspective into society’s beauty and femininity requirements adds depth and complexity to the woodcut, emphasizing the social and cultural implications of the woman’s actions.
In addition to offering information, the poem emotionally resonates with the woodcut. While the woodcut is a lovely image, it provides little insight into the woman’s emotions or experiences. On the other hand, the poetry thoroughly examines the speaker’s emotional reaction to the scene(Poets). The speaker has “weird sympathy” for the woman, implying that she understands the pressures and expectations the woman is under (Sharma). This emotional complexity gives the woodcut a new level, illuminating the human experience behind the image and enabling the audience to connect with the societal expectations and pressures that drive the woman’s behavior.
Finally, the poem adds a layer of criticism and thought to the woodcut. While the woodcut is visually gorgeous, it makes no clear comments on the societal standards of femininity and beauty it displays. In contrast, the poem reflects on these expectations, criticizing how women are expected to show themselves as faultless and immaculate to be regarded as beautiful (Poets). The woman is “done up like a bride,” implying that cultural beauty ideals in Japan are linked to traditional gender roles and the image of women as things to be adorned and shown to others (Sharma). This critical thought provides a new layer of significance to the woodcut, inviting the audience to engage with the woodcut’s depicted complicated cultural standards of beauty and femininity.
The Function and Impact of the Poem’s Final Three Lines
The poem contains a rich investigation of Japanese societal standards of femininity and beauty, and its final three lines are critical to its power and significance. These lines aim to enrich and deepen the poem’s ideas and inspire the reader to connect with the poem’s complicated cultural background (Poets). The speaker sees a woman painstakingly powdering her neck throughout the poem, highlighting the societal demands of beauty and perfection that motivate this behavior.
The woman is “careful to cover her imperfections” and “made up like a bride,” demonstrating the cultural pressure to present oneself as attractive and faultless to be deemed desirable. Yet, the speaker comments on this cultural expectation in the poem’s final three lines, criticizing how women are victimized and subjugated to their physical appearance.
“I wish to describe for you the girl’s face,/a face that is now, in my mind, so complete/it requires no powdering at all,” the poem’s final three lines read (Sharma). These words strongly reflect the poem’s presentation of cultural standards of beauty. The speaker implies that a woman’s physical beauty is not the most significant component of her identity and that she should not be turned into an object to be scrutinized and appraised solely on her physical looks. Instead, the speaker portrays the woman with a rich and multifaceted identity that goes beyond her outward appearance.
These final three lines have a significant impact on the reader. The speaker asks the reader to interact with the nuances of Japanese society and evaluate their assumptions and ideals by criticizing the poem’s cultural expectations of beauty and femininity. The image of the woman’s face “so complete/it needs no powdering at all” is a striking reminder that women are more than their physical looks and that conventional beauty demands may be hurtful and degrading (Sharma). The result is that the reader is encouraged to connect with the poem on a deeper level, to reflect on their values and preconceptions, and to evaluate how cultural standards of femininity and beauty impact our experiences and identities.
Finally, the print and poem provide a profound insight into the unique relationship between beauty, gender, and culture in Japan, showcasing both the beauty and the problems of being a woman in this complex country through exquisite details and vivid imagery. The final three lines of “Girl Powdering Her Neck” strongly critique Japanese societal standards of femininity and beauty, criticizing how women are stereotyped and subjugated to their outward attractiveness. The speaker urges the reader to interact with Japanese culture’s nuances and reflect on their beliefs and assumptions by giving a vision of the woman as a whole person, with a complete and multifaceted identity beyond her physical appearance. The poem’s topics are deepened and complicated, and the reader is invited to ponder how cultural ideals of femininity and beauty impact our lives and identities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cathy Song’s poem “Girl Powdering Her Neck” enhances Kitagawa Utamaro’s woodcut by adding depth and intricacy. The poem urges the audience to connect with Japan’s traditional standards of femininity and beauty by providing context, emotional depth, and critical thought. Hence, it demonstrates the rich social and cultural framework that drives women’s actions in the woodcut. When read together, the woodcut and poem provide a rich and nuanced analysis of femininity and beauty in Japanese culture. Therefore, it provides a deep insight into the societal pressures and expectations that affect women’s lives in this complicated country.
Works Cited
“”Girl Powdering Her Neck” by Cathy Song.” IvyPanda, 2020.
Poets, Power. “Girl Powdering Her Neck.” Power Poets, 2014.
Sharma, Kedar N. “Girl Powdering her Neck by Cathy Song: Summary and Critical Analysis.” BachelorandMaster, 2013.
Utamaro, Kitagawa. “Girl Powdering Her Neck – Ekphrastic Poetry.” Google Sites: Sign-In, 1983.