Hajia4Real : Pussy Power or Perpetuating Patriarchy?

This Image was taken from the Instagram page @Haija4Reall

You’re laying at home in the pitch Black dumsor night as the heat wells up in a suffocating manner, further carving within your existence the discomfort of your flesh. You curse the failure of the state and its infrastructure, and you realize that electricity is now a privilege. Meanwhile, Hajia4Real is probably laying on a soft, plushy-but-firm mattress in a perfectly chilled room with numerous lavender scented pillows draped in silk. She has access to excess wealth. And she got this access by capitalizing on her looks, charm, and sex appeal. Known by her Instagram name Hajia4Real, Mona is a contemporary Ghanaian icon who has been able to fashion her looks, charm and allure into an upwardly mobile position as a future wife to a wealthy, well-established, business tycoon. Is she Perpetuating Patriarchy or are her actions a feminist win for Pussy Power?

 

The Case For Perpetuating Patriarchy

Historically, (and currently in Ghana) men’s monopoly of economic resources has left women susceptible to total dominance and control. Unequal economic distribution of resources means that many women without jobs or careers have to marry men for economic sustainability. Current feminist movements postulate that men should not be financial or career plans, and that women must be able to live independently from men to retain autonomy. Feminists argue that middle class women have come too far, and have too many economic opportunities, to move up in society by laying on our backs. Using sex appeal to gain access to men’s resources is a glorified form of prostitution. Furthermore, it allows men to access women’s bodies even when women do not desire such actions because women are desperate for economic viability.

Essentially, Haija’s actions perpetuate patriarchy because her entire nexus of power is based on the sexualized desire of wealthy men. How many women have dedicated their time, their efforts and their lives to men who frivolously replace them when these men desire other women? For power to be meaningful it has be sustaining, and it has to be able to be replenished. Relying upon a rich man to provide you with his resources is not a sustainable source of power for women. Furthermore it reinforces male dominance, and a society where husbands retain both social and economic power over women. How much negotiation does one have when their husband stands between a luxurious life and homelessness? Heartbreak and fidelity are the least of your concerns when your ability to eat depends on your man’s whims.  It is a breeding ground for emotional manipulation because of all the goods that he provides for you. And it is a breeding ground for helplessness when your only method of financial stability is a man’s desire to marry you.

The Case For Pussy Power

Perhaps feminists who judge women like Hajia4Real are just manifesting prude sexual politics and fail to understand how women who grapple with a sexist society are justified in utilizing the capital of beauty to maximize wealth. Pussy power is a phrase used to delineate the power of women’s sexuality. It does not necessarily refer only to vaginas, although vaginas are great. It represents the capacity for women to capitalize widely on our looks, beauty, and sex appeal on our own terms. It is not objectification, but rather the ability for women to tap into the erotic and utilize it to navigate the world as we see fit. And Hajia’s cunning ability to access resources by capitalizing on her sexuality, and capturing the heart of a wealthy man as a means for social mobility exemplifies pussy power. It is sex negative to compare Hajia to prostitution because it relies on cheap shock to malign her sexual agency.  Nevertheless, prostitution or sex work is not bad. Women have the right to control our bodies and if we see it fit to exchange sexual services for monetary compensation in a safe manner, it is our prerogative.

Notable powerful women in history, such as Cleopatra, have been able to transform their social status from beautiful women into powerful beautiful women. Feminism must leave room for talented women who are able to combine their desirability with their people skills to gain social mobility. The only advice would be to begin to build towards a life of independent, economic sustainability. To learn from the business savvy of one’s partner, to use the access to capital to begin new ventures, and to create opportunities for other women in the process of building an empire of their own.

As long as feminists are still working on restructuring society such that all people have access to equitable social, economic, political, sexual and cultural resources, Hajia is a win.