Yuan Changying Prize Honourable Mention – Masculinity, Femininity and Religion in Netflix’s ‘Unorthodox’

This blog series showcases the student winners of the Yuan Changying Prize, sponsored by GENDER.ED and SPS’s Gender Politics Research Group. The prize recognises outstanding ‘gender observations’ written by students (and nominated by tutors) in the pre-Honours course Understanding Gender in the Contemporary World, convened by Prof. Meryl Kenny and Dr. Hemangini Gupta. Gender observations require students to link material from the course to their own day-to-day experiences and observations of ‘doing gender’. The prize is named after Yuan Changying in consultation with students, in recognition of the first female Chinese graduate in the University of Edinburgh’s history. 

By Misha Vides-Gold

Hair is a powerful tool; hairstyles can be a method of constriction yet also tools of resistance and liberation. Using feminist frameworks of analysis, I will explore how masculinities and femininities are presented in Unorthodox through focusing on the lens of Hair. For Esty, the transition of her hairstyles symbolizes the tensions between conformity and self-liberation at different points throughout the series. Unorthodox explores across the continuum of these binary meanings, captured within hair, with hair being ‘simultaneously public’ and ‘personal’. (Weitz, 2001). This idea is particularly pertinent for Hasidic Jewish women, like Etsy, where hair is a form of identification: with one’s tribe, marriage, observation of Halakhah, and a signalling of sexual modesty (Weiss, 2009). Unorthodox uses the covering of hair to illustrate femininity as a co-dependent entity, reliant on masculinity to exist; femininity is presented as a threat when it does not follow this understanding. Comparatively, the covering of hair for men displays masculinity as autonomous, dominating, and ubiquitous, due its centrality in women’s narratives. Yet, Unorthodox uses the uncovering of hair to subverse this traditional idea through spotlighting how individuals behave once they have left their known social structures. Instead, by the end of the series, women are presented as symbols of resistance whilst men are, at their core, fearful and vulnerable.

The different head coverings worn by men and women in Unorthodox reveal how religious femininity is based on a woman’s relationship to men, whereas religious masculinity is based on man’s relationship to G-d. Jewish men are expected to cover their head, signifying their physical and mental deference to G-d (Krauss, 1945). Unorthodox conveys this through the Jewish male characters never showing their bare head, even when Yanky and Moishe travel to Berlin they continue to wear caps in order to physically assimilate into Berlin’s secular society. Interestingly, masculinity here is also presented as somewhat submissive, yet submissive to G-d, who, traditionally and biblically is presented as the ultimate masculine figure (Whitehead, 2012). In comparison, Jewish women are biblically commanded, rather than just expected, to cover their heads once married (Ketubah 72b, The Talmud), for example, Esty only wears a sheitel after her wedding. Yet, as women can only wear a sheitel once they’re married, head coverings for Jewish women not only symbolize compliance with religious norms, but also a bounding of these women to their marriage and husbands (Weiss, 2009). Marriage is a patriarchal institute (Howell, 1987), thus, religious femininity – expressed through the wearing of the sheitel to show a traditional observance of faith – can only be achieved through relations with men and, a women’s subsequent compliance with self-oppressing systems, such as marriage. Comparatively, religious masculinity can be accomplished as an autonomous decision, based on personal relationships of man to G-d.

Unorthodox uses the removal of hair to reveal how femininity is weaponized. Not only must Hasidic women, particularly Satmar woman, physically alter their appearance through wigs but they are also expected to further physically alter their appearance as they are expected/required to shave their head before marriage (Zalcberg, 2009). This tradition is performed in order to highlight a woman’s modesty because hair is viewed as ervah (indecent exposure) (Weiss, 2009). The removal of hair supposedly allows men to control their sexual urges (Ahituv, 1999). Hair is viewed as a risk because it has the potential to distract men from observing G-d through indulging in sexual temptations instead. Therefore, religious femininity remains defined through the centering of masculinity.

The scene in Unorthodox where Esty’s head is shaved is, arguably, one of the most raw and emotionally harrowing scenes of the series, revealing the personal sacrifices religious women are expected to undergo in order to fulfil their religious ‘duties’. The fear painted on the young girls’ faces who are watching Esty mirrors the fear and discomfort evoked in the viewer. Particularly as a woman watching this scene, I sympathized deeply with Esty’s pain and shock surrounding this huge physical transition. Hair, not just for religious women, is quintessential to femininity, in particular, the idealization of long hair in the West is central to a woman’s physical appearance and attractiveness (Synnott, 1987). The removal of hair reveals a belief in it as a weapon, and, therefore, femininity as a dangerous entity which must be contained. Subsequent to this belief, religious femininity is presented as not just dangerous but also something to be compromised in order to cater for the needs of men. Shown through the shaving of Esty’s hair, masculinity continues to be the underlying central narrative in womens’ stories.

Comparatively, Unorthodox uses the removal of hair with men to present masculinity as not dangerous but rather fearful. The final episode shows Yanky, in an accumulation of emotion, cutting off his payot in order to prove to Esty he too can change. The scene creates shock for the audience, particularly as a Jewish viewer I understood the gravitas of this act. Payot are biblically commanded to be grown, and never cut, by religious men (Leviticus 19:27) and are extremely important markers of faith. Sympathy is evoked for Yanky as the viewer sees the desperation and fear of the character almost bursting out of him; ultimately, despite the problematic prevalence of patriarchy within Hasidism, Yanky is just trying to create a life for himself he has, his whole life, been taught to want. Interestingly, one could view this act as Yanky attempting to empathize with Esty’s experience of removing her hair. Yet, Satmar Hasidic women do not have this as a choice but rather a socio-religious obligation. Masculinity is inherently linked to “an anxious awareness of its own instability” (Schwarze, 2001); Yanky is experiencing a growing awareness and fear that is losing his previous control over Esty, her decisions, and their family life. Perhaps Yanky is also fearful that, through exposure to Esty’s new life, his worldview is changing in ways he is unable to comprehend. Yanky cutting off his payot suggests an attempt at regaining control, reflecting men’s wider desperation for control when they seem to lose it. Like Yanky, men are taught they can only achieve control over their own lives through the subsequent control of women (Canham, 2009). Thus, by the end of the series, the narrative is switched, and masculinity is presented as an extremely vulnerable and fragile entity, dependent on women to survive.

Unorthodox continues to subverse the gender narrative of the show through the uncovering of hair, instead, revealing femininity as a symbol of strength and resilience. Once in Berlin, Esty removes her sheitel in the lake – this scene is, for me, the most memorable of the series. It’s a powerful and intimate moment the viewer is invited to observe. Esty taking her wig off and releasing it to float away symbolizes the feeling of release and liberation experienced by both the character and the audience. Changing hairstyles are seen as a way for individuals to mark status transitions (McAlexander and Schouten, 1989) – in Esty’s case, the uncovering of her hair is shown to mark her new-found freedom from the demands of Hasidic womanhood, as well as reclaiming agency in her decisions. The scene provides religious imagery of a Baptism or a Mikvah, as, once the wig is removed, Esty fully submerges herself in the water and then reappears. When interpreting this scene as reminiscent of a Baptism, it can be seen as Esty’s re-birth into society outside the gaze of religion. If viewing this scene as redolent of a Mikvah, one can argue Esty is reclaiming her narrative as a Jewish woman; she rejects the restrictions of her Satmar community through subversing this practiced Orthodox female tradition. A Mikvah symbolizes ritual purity, thus, Esty is cleansing herself from her past life and begins a journey to find herself outside the previous social structures she has been tied to.

Esty simply living with a shaved head in her new life exhibits femininity as powerful. Women do gender (West and Zimmerman 1987) and body/beauty work to manage both societal and personal anxieties and expectations of how one should appear (Kwan and Trautner, 2009). The internalisation of social norms translate into how we, as women, interact and behave with our bodies, and what we expect of them (Lovejoy, 2001) due to the belief that “bodies are central to ‘proper’ femininity” (Fahs, 2011). Hair is a key feature of bodies. Religious or not, a woman with a shaved head must actively dismantle internalized societally constructed notions of beauty, and instead create her own – “It’s even fashionable here Yanky”. Even Esty’s progressive Berliner friends question whether she has cancer due to her shaved head; society cannot fathom a woman removing this critical tool of femininity. Unorthodox presents a journey of a woman navigating what femininity means to her; femininity can be self-exploration, growth and liberation.

Unorthodox presents a wide spectrum of masculinities and femininities, but, more significantly, the show highlights the drastic changes an individual can experience within this spectrum once they are liberated from previous social structures. Femininity, within social structures, is seen as muted, only defined in its relationship to masculinity and feared when it attempts to exist as an independent entity. Comparatively, once the individual is liberated from these systems, femininity becomes a free agent embodying resilience and exploration. Moreover, masculinity is initially presented as dominating due to institutions being centred around the masculine narrative. However, when masculinity is separated from these power structures, it’s portrayed as vulnerable and lost, lacking an identity when the ability to control women’s lives and bodies is removed.

Bibliography:

Weitz, R., (2001), ‘Women and Their Hair: Seeking Power through Resistance and Accommodation’, Gender and Society, Vol.15 (No.5), p. 667

Weiss, S., (2009), ‘Under Cover: Demystification of Women’s Head Covering in Jewish Law’, Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies & Gender Issues, Special Issue: Sexuality in Jewish Contexts, (No.17), p.89-89 p.95

Krauss, S., (1945), ‘THE JEWISH RITE OF COVERING THE HEAD’, Hebrew Union College Annual, Vol. 19, p.122-123

Whitehead, A. L., (2012), ‘Gender Ideology and Religion: Does a Masculine Image of G-d Matter?’, Review of Religious Research, Vol. 54, (No.2), p.140

Ketubah, (c.450-c.550 CE), Ch.7, 72b, The Talmud (Central text of Jewish religious law and theology)

Howell, M.C., (1987), ‘Marriage, Property, and Patriarchy: Recent Contributions to a Literature’, Feminist Studies, Vol. 13, (No.1), p.203

Zalcberg, S., (2009), ‘“Grace is deceitful and beauty is vain”: how Hasidic women cope with the custom of head shaving and wearing a black kerchief’, Sociological Papers, (Vol. 14), (Accessed: 24/10/2022)

Ahituv, Y., (1999), ‘Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature’, Jewish Women’s Archive, Shalvi/Human Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, (Accessed: 24/10/2022)

Synnott, A., (1987), ‘Shame and Glory: A Sociology of Hair’, The British Journal of Sociology, Vol.38 (No.3), p.383-384

Leviticus 19:27, (approx. 450-350 BCE), Third Book of the Torah (Jewish holy script)

Schwarze, T.T., (2001), ‘“DO YOU CALL THAT A MAN?”: THE CULTURE OF ANXIOUS MASCULINITY IN JOYCE’S “ULYSSES”’, European Joyce Studies, Vol. 10, p. 113

Canham, S. L., (2009), ‘The Interaction of Masculinity and Control and its Impact on the Experience of Suffering for an Older Man’, Journal of Aging Studies, (Accessed: 23/10/2022)

McAlexander, J.H., Schouten, J., (1989), ‘HAIR STYLE CHANGES AS TRANSITION MARKERS’, Sociology and social research, Vol. 74, (No,1), p.58

West, C., and Zimmerman, D.H., (1987), ‘Doing Gender’, Gender and Society, Vol.1 (No.2), p.126

Kwan, S., Trautner, M.N., (2009), ‘Beauty Work Individual and Institutional Rewards, the Reproduction of Gender, and questions of Agency’, Sociology Compass, Vol. 3, (No. 1), p.49-50

Lovejoy, M., (2001), ‘DISTURBANCES IN THE SOCIAL BODY: Differences in Body Image and Eating Problems among African American and white Woman’, Gender and Society, Vol. 15, (No. 2), P.239

Fahs, B., (2011), ‘DREADED “OTHERNESS”: Heteronormative Patrolling in Women’s Body Hair Rebellions’, Gender and Society, Vol.25 (No.4), p.452

Author Bio

Misha writes: “Hi, I’m Misha. I’m currently studying a degree in Social Anthropology. Having grown up in a strong, liberal Jewish community, I wanted my essay to reflect the nuanced intersection of religion and gender.”