Attitudes toward women’s flesh track how seriously men take their own death and destiny.

Evidence

If a man does not think life is unique, if he is not concerned with his singular destiny, if he does not fear death, he will joyously accept his animality. For Muslims, woman is reduced to a state of abjection because of the feudal structure of society that does not allow recourse to the state against the family and because of religion, expressing this civilization’s warrior ideal, that has destined man to death and stripped woman of her magic: What would anyone on earth, ready to dive without any hesitation into the voluptuous orgies of the Muhammadan paradise, fear? — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 364

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the causal chain: male fear of death and concern for singular destiny drives the male attitude of horror toward the feminine flesh.
• SEED: Possible article angle: how a culture’s mortality worldview (resignation vs. transcendent destiny) maps directly onto how its men treat women’s bodies.
• XREF: connects to: Mortality reminders make men denigrate sexually provocative women — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core: On the Role of…, 605; Death and sex reminders make men lenient toward male violence against women — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core: On the Role of…, 610; Male violence against women partly stems from resentment of their own bodily arousal — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core: On the Role of…, 609 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Mortality reminders make men denigrate sexually provocative women #exemplifies (0.90) — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core, 605
• Death-awareness drives humans to cling to cultural worldviews and self-esteem #expands (0.85) — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core, 476
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding trigger derogation of women when death and animality are salient #exemplifies (0.85) — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core, 603
• Death and sex reminders make men lenient toward male violence against women #exemplifies (0.80) — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core, 610
• Each man shapes the myth of woman to reflect his own self-positioning #corroborates (0.80)
• Male violence against women partly stems from resentment of their own bodily arousal #expands (0.75) — Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski, The Worm at the Core, 609
• Men transform woman from flesh into an ethereal ideal, denying her body #corroborates (0.75) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 383
• Contemplating one’s death reveals oneself as the future prey of others. #corroborates (0.70)