Ugly AF: An Introduction to Desire Politics

AN INTRODUCTION TO DESIRE POLITICS

Desirability Politics are the system of ideologies and institutions designed to oppress, other, subjugate, punish, and kill those who are socially and politically designated as Ugly* while affirming, resourcing, advantaging those socially and politically positioned as Beautiful*.

Desire Politics go beyond the physical, the aesthetic, and the Body. It speaks to marginalization of identity, performance, phenotype, genotype, ability, spirituality, (un)wellness, health, relationships, commodification, objectification, phobia vs. philia, eating the 'Other', and the conscious and unconscious of desire as power.

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According to Michel Foucault, power cannot be limited to one definition, but includes: "a group of institutions and/or mechanisms whose aim it is for a citizen to obey and yield to the state; yielding to rules; a general and oppressing system where one societal class or group oppresses another."

But to contextualize how power operates institutionally, interpersonally, and ideologically as desire — add this context as well: Socially and politically ascribed as human, desirable, valuable, labor-producing, morally sound, life-affirming, aesthetically and/or performatively pleasing.

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Resourcing and advantaging of those socially and politically positioned as "deserving" of authority, "naturally" authoritative, or assumed as authority.

Those who's flesh, appearance, status, social positioning, identity, and performance is considered to be human, attractive, moral, valuable, etc. — which curates influence based in perceived legitimacy.

Ability to control or direct others.

Recipients of identity privilege either by birth or acquisition.

why am i ugly sexism colorism ableism fatphobia transphobia queerphobia classism ageism antiblackness $HUNTERTHELION

Beautiful (/ˈbyo͞ odəfəl/ noun/ adjective) is the sociopolitical category and construct antithetical to Ugly; those socially positioned as attractive, valuable, virtuous, human, healthy, and/or morally pure in appearance, performance, and identity.

Those considered to be Beautiful/ Desirable/ Human are given institutional, ideological, and interpersonal advantages and privilege such as more access to financial opportunities, affirming medical care, job opportunities, social relationships (romantic, sexual, platonic, etc.), believability and support within the legal system and judicial system, leadership positions, media representation, etc.

Beautiful includes (but not limited to) being White, cisgender, heterosexual, aligned with Christianity/ Hegemonic Religiosity, thin, able-bodied, light-skin, neurotypical, labor-producing, social class, age, height, nationality, Non-Black ethnic and/or racial category, etc.

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Ugly (/ˈəɡlē/ noun / adjective) is the political category antithetical to Beauty; those socially positioned as unpleasant, repulsive, unhealthy, dangerous, and/or morally objectionable in appearance, performance, status, and identity.

Ugly denotes the socially and politically repressed, prohibited, punished, subjugated, and oppressed for being 'Other' or situated as evil, bad, detrimental, unattractive, ill, menacing, and/or dead (i.e. Black, racialized, dark skinned, neurodivergent, deformed, disabled, fat, classed, disenfranchised, spiritually immoral, demonic, etc.) under white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.

Ugly people are punished through lack of access to resources — job opportunities, raises/ promotions, relationships, leadership positions — access to affirming healthcare, access to public safety, access to state intervention (police, security, crisis support), etc.

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WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING UGLY? DESIRE IS POWER. POWER IS DESIRE.

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YOUR DESIRABILITY IS DETERMINED ON A SYSTEM OF BEAUTY. ugliness isn't just about romantic or sexual relationships but overall humanity.

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the OUR PREFERENCES ARE k c antiblaze INFLUENCED BY SYSTEMS OF ga OPPRESSION & ANTIBLACKNESS. WHEN THE WORLD HATES YOUR BODY, THE VIOLENCE IS INESCAPABLE.

THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING UGLY.

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Is Is being being Ugly Ugly aa personal personal problem? problem? Or Or does does the the world world want want you you to to feel feel the the burden burden of of Beauty*?

Beauty*? Does Does it it matter matter if if some some individual individual people people find find you you beautiful, beautiful, but but you're you're still still politically politically Ugly?

Ugly?

While While Beautiful Beautiful is is relegated relegated to to human/ human/ humanity/ humanity/ life-affirming, life-affirming, Undesirable/ Ugly is the social and political positioning Undesirable/ Ugly is the social and political positioning as as unfortunate, unfortunate, unacceptable, unacceptable, unwelcome, unwelcome, unalive, unalive, wretched, wretched, inhuman inhuman in in appearance, appearance, performance, performance, status, status, and and identity identity under under white white supremacist supremacist capitalist capitalist patriarchy. patriarchy.

Ugly Ugly (system) vs. ugly (circumstantial) and Beautiful vs. beautiful speaks to the Ugly (system) (system) vs. vs. ugly ugly (circumstantial) (circumstantial) and and Beautiful Beautiful vs. vs. beautiful beautiful speaks speaks to to the the stabilized stabilized systems of desire versus the turbulent inconclusive.

The stabilized systems systems of of desire desire versus versus the the turbulent turbulent inconclusive. inconclusive. The The individual individual experience is still political because the personal always is, but individual experience experience is is still still political political because because the the personal personal always always is, is, but but the distinction addresses the nuance that the circumstantial (people, place, the distinction addresses the nuance that the circumstantial (people, place, the distinction addresses the nuance that the circumstantial (people, place, time, time, trauma, etc.) can complicate how violence operates or impacts our time, trauma, trauma, etc.) etc.) can can complicate complicate how how violence violence operates operates or or impacts impacts our our understanding of ourselves/ the world.

Antiblackness + white supremacist understanding of ourselves/ the world.

Antiblackness + white supremacist understanding of ourselves/ the world. Antiblackness + white supremacist capitalist capitalist patriarchy patriarchy is is illogical, illogical, and and there there are patterns and storms we can track are patterns and storms we can track to to develop develop epistemologies epistemologies and and language language to to better understand our experiences.

But better understand our experiences. But in in that that illogic, illogic, we we must must recognize recognize that that Desire doesn't always operate lineraly.

Desire doesn't always operate lineraly. So So yes, yes, some some people people may may find find you you beautiful beautiful (circumstantial) (circumstantial) while while the the world world finds finds you Ugly (system). you Ugly (system).

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The amalgamation between fetish, disgust, and grotesque fascination is the duality of phobia and philia; the relationship between infatuation and terror. Antiblack desire politics create a space for the taboo/ unconventional/ the Ugly/ the Other to be desired and feared, to be chased and repelled — but always entangled in obsession.

PHOBIA

An Irrational Fear and/or Hatred of X; Extreme Aversion. This includes cacophobia, fatphobia, queerphobia, transphobia, etc.

[Sometimes calling something "phobic" or a “fear” legitimates the specific bias by those who reject the idea that they're "afraid" of X people.)

PHILIA

MANIA

Insatiable Desire; Lust for X. Ex.: Negrophilia, Rhytiphile, etc.

Madness; Unruly Aggressive and/or Exhilarated Behavior; Obsession; Short-lived Craze and Intoxication Over X. Ex: Megalomania, Negromania, etc.

OBSESSION

FETISH FEAR

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Beauty is lethal.

by: hunter shackelford

To be Beautiful is to be in a state of temporal, contingent, venomous humanity*. Beauty is always fleeting, always spatially dictated, always in crisis, always vanishing, always fugitive.

Beauty is on the run from the Ugly.

Desire is in a chokehold with the Undesirable.

Pretty is a cage, Handsome is a coop. Death becomes them through the overestimation of flesh and underdevelopment of persona. But Ugliness is already a predetermined death, the embodiment of lifelessness, the monstrosity in the room, the universal fear, and the looming inevitability.

Beautiful is relegated to human, but humanity is pernicious. *Humanity cannot possibly be life-affirming when the basis of being humanized is stripping yourself of care, character, value, passion, intention, and community in order to fain fractions as wholeness.

Beautiful is the waiting room for Ugly. Your death soon come.

Ugly is unending death. by: hunter shackelford

Fat Studies, Body and Desirability Politics: A Reading List by Da’Shaun L. Harrison Disability Activism Reading List by Adam F. Naughton Moving Toward the Ugly: A Politic Beyond Desirability by Mia Mingus On the Politics of Ugliness by Sara Rodrigues and Ela Przybylo Treating My Friends Like Lovers: The Politics of Desirability

by Caleb Luna The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor The Thrill and Fear of ‘Hey, Beautiful’ by Fatima Jamal The Politics of Being "Ugly": Between Being Catcalled and Erased by Hunter Ashleigh Shackelford Sex Work and Sex Workers Syllabus by PJ Sage Colorism is a Feminist Issue by Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley Laverne Cox Discusses Desire + Dating Trans Folks

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