何春蕤東京講座：現場實錄200306018

2003.6.18 講座現場實錄

Discussant: Tazaki Hideaki

From sexualization of identification to sexualizatoin of labor: Understanding Enjo-kosai from the other side

An interesting aspect of the Beatlemania in the 60』s pointed out by Ehrenreich, Hess, and Jacobs: The 「object choice」 of these teenage girls vis-à-vis the Beatles is not only their seeking for romantic relationship but also object of identification. This form of identification by girls that transcends both sex and gender brings about sexualization of identification. This upsets the prohibition that the same sex relationship is identification and must be desexualized -- the homophobic imperative that comprises modern society that Sedgwick describes as homo social structure. If the prohibition deals with the foundation of separation of the two spheres, civil society and the family, -- former being the desexualized and the latter being the sexualized/sexualizable, —that comprise modern society, sexualization of identification would include rather large range.

Fordism system or consumption society in which giving up own subjectivity at workplace is compensated by construction of subjectivity in consumption, enabling masss-production to be equated with mass-consumption. Here, it seemed that the relationship between civil society and the family hax remained equivalent to the contrast between desexualization and sexualization, as in the form of desexualization of labor (production labor) vs. sexualization of consumption (reproduction labor), though undergoing transformation. Saying this does not deny the existence of sexual harassment at workplace. Rather, it implies that sexual acts tend not to be recognized as sexual. Then, what do we understand about post-fordism system that is built upon capital』s subsuming of communication capability of workers at workplace itself, thus those who are not being subjects are driven out of competition?

Let us turn to 「Ally McBeal」, the sit-com in the United States. The originality of 「Ally…」 becomes clearer when comparing the program with other sit-coms such as 「Friends」 and 「ER」.　In 「Friends」, the plot is centered on romance, with very little illustration of labor. 「ER」 involves both labor and romance yet it remains in the classic dichotomy of labor and sexual matters. What is being questioned in 「Ally…」is how a subject, particularly a gendered woman, can possibly separate labor from sexual matters, including from sexual harassment to romance at workplace, or whether it is possible. In other words, can labor be desexualized today?

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Jo Ho』s response:

I really appreciate Tazaki Sensei』s response to my paper. If I have approached the topic of enjo-kosai by situating it within formations of teenage girls』 sexuality, thus making teenage sex work a rather 「natural」 or at least 「not unusual」 part of teenage lives; then Tazaki Sensei』s approach is to bring together a series of dichotomies that aim to manage the distinction between social spheres as well as the distinction between subjects in order that power effects may be maintained. I believe the implicit message in Tazaki Sensei』s comment is that, first of all, such dichotomies are constantly transgressed by non-conforming subjects, be it revolting labor, resisting consumer, or, our own enjo-kosai girls; and secondly, since the 1960s, sexualization of identification and labor has become such an important part of modern social processes that, while making subjects (in its double meaning of the subjected and the conscious subject) out of us, it has also become an important force whose unpredictable circuits of desire may end up disturbing rather than helping the smooth functioning of power. In that sense, I think Tazaki Sensei is putting the enjo-kosai girls and their practices right in the center of today』s social processes and raise the provocative question of how we could understand such a highly potent social action.

As to Tazaki Sensei』s final question of 「can labor be desexualized today?」 While refraining from giving it the expected answer of 「no,」 I would like to caution that even the terms 「labor」 and 「sexuality」 need to be historicized. For labor today is no longer the traditional meaning of labor as conceived by the Marxists. Sexuality, in particular, is a rapidly developing concept and a variegated group of practices, feelings, cultural constructs—so much variegated that scholars are still struggling to put their fingers on it. In that sense, giving concrete analysis of concrete sites and moments becomes an important work for us today, and I think enjo-kosai affords a wonderful opportunity for us to observe and understand such (trans-)formations, if the governments do not nip them in the buds before we had a chance to learn from such social action.

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Q & A:

1. When I was in high school, I had classmates who did enjo-kosai, then later they became professional sex workers. How is it in Taiwan? Do you think the enjo-kosai girls would also become professionals?

A: First of all, to presume that part-time sex work would naturally or gradually lead to full-time sex work may be a false assumption. The actualities are people move from full-time to part-time, or from part-time to full-time, or from one part-time to another part-time to another part-time, responding to the changing conditions of economy and society. It』s a matter of people』s decisions and choices. To presume that somehow there is a downward fall into full-time sex work is quite problematic. Secondly, continuous full-time sex work assumes that the sex worker has to maintain a certain degree of stability in terms of location, communication, accessibility, etc. But with Taiwanese government』s persistence on obscenity sweeps, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain full-time sex work. In the meantime, though, modern technological advances are making it all the more easy for people to initiate and negotiate part-time occasional sexual transactions. In other words, the direct downward line from part-time sex work to full-time sex work is becoming increasingly untenable.

2. If enjo-kosai has come to encompass a wide range of sex work, would it change female sexuality? I mean Japanese high school girls are now highly pampered and believe that they can do almost anything during their high school years, because when they get into college or marriage, that』s the end of everything. Is there a temporal dimension to such female agency?

A: In Taiwan, the teenagers are always criticized for 「doing whatever they like no matter what.」 But you know, I think the adults are just the opposite: 「whatever I don』t like, you cannot do.」 Which one is willful? I am not sure. As to the question of Japanese high school girl, I am not sure if this is a matter of high school girls, or more the historical period they are in. This is a historical moment when high school girls are afforded many more opportunities to practice making choices, ironically helped along by commodification. And if such opportunities, or their practices, or their choices seem distasteful to the adults, then perhaps the adults need to rethink if it is their own lack of opportunities, lack of practices, and lack of choices that have made them inhospitable to teenage girls』 seeming freedom.

3. The commentator talked about sex in post-fordism. You have talked about sex mediated through money, but is there any place for sex mediated through nothing but love?

A: I think the question implies that somehow there could be a sex mediated through nothing but love. But I would like to point out that even love itself is a mediated thing, socially constituted by a lot of social values, cultural indoctrination, and even desires and fantasies. So if sex is always mediated, just like love or marriage is also, then why do we want to isolate sex mediated through money as problematic? Furthermore, there is nothing inherently bad about being mediated through money. I have nothing against money in particular. My being here has been facilitated by funding from Ochadai. You all paid to attend the lecture tonight. So even our noble intellectual exchange is facilitated by/mediated through money. I think we should be beyond the days of Jesus cleaning the temple by driving out the money-changers.

4. Japanese enjo-kosai is still mainly middle-age men seeking the comfort of teenage girls. What triggers them to go for younger girls?

A: I think this question stems from the fact that we find relationship between middle-aged men and teenage girls unimaginable and even distasteful. So we hold a condemning attitude toward such relationships. In that case, of course we will never know what moves the men or what moves the girls. There are various theories to explain such a relationship: some attribute it to the middle-aged men』s desire for a taste of youth, other attribute it to their lust, etc. But I think there are a lot of other reasons that we will never become aware of if we hold on to our fixed ideas about them. Feminism has taught us so much about gender inequality that we can now only see a picture of very powerful male power taking advantage of the weak vulnerable females. Yet, there are many sides to men too. As your father, he may a patriarchal figure, always domineering. But in front of an enjo-kosai girl, he will have to play a different kind of role in order to negotiate the consent of the girl. It is then that the pitiful side may become visible. If you really want to know what turns them on, what makes the contact possible, then you will have to demonstrate an open and non-judgmental attitude toward this phenomenon. Then they may let you in on it. Or, they may not. In fact, if our society continues to look negatively upon such relationships, we will never learn the truth about it.

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