the geisha fantasy/female

The Female Fantasy

Female admirers of geisha focus on the same myth, but from the opposite side of desire. They identify with the image of mythic femininity, holding men in thrall, and living aestheticised lives for the sake of art. What appeals to these women is the fact that geisha do not marry, that they are not under the thumb of a husband, that they live in communities of women, dress elegantly, and devote themselves to art. This view from the other side of the icon tends to leave sex out altogether or else invert the servility element, transforming the woman into dominatrix mode. This is clearly what appealed to pop star Madonna when she tried on a ‘power geisha’ persona in 1999.