Men's Fashion and Body Image in Japan

The New York Times presented an extremely interesting article regarding the fashion for Japanese men in Japan. Japanese male fashion seems to be completely contradictory of U.S. men’s fashion. As discussed in the New York Times 2007 article, “In Japan, it’s the men who want to be skinny and cute” male body image and men’s fashion are discussed. In the United States, it is clear that women strive to be thin and fit. It can even be assumed that American women are obsessed with being or becoming thin. However, Japanese culture seems extremely different according to this article. Rather, it is not the women who are obsessing over body weight, but rather, the men who want to remain small, skinny and “cute”. It is stated that men ages 18 to 30 are the thinnest in the population, weighing in at about 125 pounds. Not only that, but most are happily at 5 feet 8 inches tall and claim they want to become even skinnier despite their height. The essential question, is why? Apparently, the gender roles have been reversed in this particular aspect of Japanese culture. Men in Japanese society believe that they are more attractive to women the thinner they are. There is this apparent fashion trend occurring that somehow men need to be “fed by women”. There is a fad that men are starving for a “women” and this particular style is considered sexy in the fashion and romantic relationship world. As Junichi Shirakwa states, “being really skinny is essential, not just for fashion and work purposes but also because girls seem to go for thing guys.” Men seem to not only be accepting of their girlfriends larger and stronger physical characteristics but feel a sense of protection when they are with their girlfriends (something that most U.S. women would describe when being their boyfriends). Men admire the fact that they can for example, “lift heavy things and go out drinking until dawn.”

            The younger women of Japan seem to have a very different perspective on body image as well, especially in comparison to the United States. Currently, one of the most popular relaxation sports for single working women is “boxercising” (a combination of boxing and aerobics). This builds not only strength, but also muscle, making the women larger in size and essentially, more fit than men. Although U.S. society aspires to be fit and admires physical activity, it is less common for women to want to gain muscle in the same way men want to build their bodies.

It is also discussed in the article that women are not as interested in dressing to impress men, but rather for their own satisfaction. The article states, “Indeed, it seems that Japanese women have reclaimed sexuality as their very own and now dress to enhance their self-esteem rather than to please the male gaze, which was what a big part of street fashion had been about.”

            In addition, what is an essential part of this article is the idea that Japanese men are comfortable wearing their girlfriend’s clothes. The fact that they are able to fit into the women’s clothes is attractive. Hirayama said: "For young men, wearing women's clothes has almost become a status symbol - a confirmation of being slim and pretty and, therefore, desirable.”

            This article discusses essential information especially regarding the concept of cultural relativism. The way in which men are described in Japan in this article would be considered extremely deviant of Western cultural norms. Men in the United States for example, aspire to be muscular, strong, wish to be taller, and often strive to be the dominant protector in a relationship. Additionally, men often do not feel comfortable wearing their girlfriend’s clothes, or tight fitting clothes at all. Heterosexual men may feel uncomfortable dressing in these particular “feminine” ways because of societal pressures regarding sexuality and sexual orientation.

            This is an important article to consider because it allows readers to understand a part of Japan that is not typical of the “Japanese stereotype”. I believe people will often think of a traditional Japan, as many aspects of Japanese culture are still very traditional in gender norms. Men may hold a more dominant role in certain aspects of Japanese culture. However, it seems that in the younger Japanese generations, through fashion and body image, gender roles are clearly changing and women have become dominant not only in their relationships but dominant in their physique as well.

what does this mean for the concept of gender inequality in Japanese Society? rather than men and women considering each other equal in a relationship and in society, are the gender roles simply reversing? 

References:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/style/19iht-fslim.1.8387017.html