How do the works of Yasumasa Morimura, Julie Rrap and Anne Zahalka challenge conventional ways in which gender has been depicted historically in the visual arts?…
Japanese cultural values and their aspiration for being a united society have grown out of the nation's unique history and cultured philosophy. These ancient roots have touched every aspect of Japanese business from the way formal gatherings are conducted to the significance placed on after-hours socializing. By realizing and adjusting to this business culture, Western executives keen to do business in Japan will be able to be more productive in associating with their Japanese colleagues and will increase the likelihood of achieving the objectives of their conferences. It is important to comprehend the role of the female entertainer in Japanese culture, which is why the Geisha has a particular role. However, geisha women are often confused with prostitutes.…
Sailormoon, the world renowned animated series, comes from the Japanese Shōjo manga, written and illustrated by female author Naoko Takeuchi. The main distinguishing feature of Shōjo manga is that it is specifically aimed at young female viewers and involves some form of (usually magical) female protagonist (Saito 143). Kumiko Saito, in her essay on Magical Girl Anime and the Challenges of Changing Gender Identities in Japanese Society, acknowledges that the Shōjo genre exhibits “various possibilities of power for both men and women”; however, she argues that these potentials are marginalized by “contradictory messages conveyed by metaphors of magic and transformation” (162). In this essay, I will explain the ways in which the internationally…
With the exception of the religion of Okinawa, “all known religions led by women are comprised only of women and/or are considered marginal, subordinate, or secondary in the societies in which they are located” (127). The women in the indigenous religion of Okinawa live without the entrenched sphere of male domination that is present in most religious and government bodies throughout the world. There is an embedded deference for women and “Okinawan women are acknowledged and respected leaders of the publicly funded indigenous religion in which both men and women participate” (127). Sered notes that it has not been an easy road for the culture as a whole throughout this tenure of female religious domination. The culture has in fact been through many political and social changes in which the legitimacy of female religious prominence was never upended. “Women’s female preeminence in Okinawa has endured through a range of political structures and political changes: decentralized villages, warring feudal chiefdoms, a centralized monarchy, occupation by foreign power” (128). It is an imbedded aspect of their culture that has remained unchanged during the long and at times tumultuous history of the…
Brad Weiss does a great job in his chapter on gender and the role that it plays in the community of Arusha. Much of the book has been focused on the expressions of masculinity and the understandings of men that are concerned with gendered personhood, many young men in Arusha comprehend themselves and their relationships with one another in terms of what they imagine women and femininity to be like. But Weiss takes a chapter to turn to women’s practices to show how the cultural process of perception and embodiment allude to the iconography of western culture. Weiss revealed to the reader that women like to keep up with the times in Arusha just like men and they are very conscious about their look and the way they present themselves. Men use magazines and catalogues to keep up with the latest trends but women are one step ahead and use commercials and movies to stay updated. Weiss’s observation was very informative and accurate. This observation proves that globalization can influence people all around the world and have a big effect on a society.…
While there are many ways that a woman can feel successful in life, one such way for Japanese women to feel this way is to follow this ideal, and be a loving, caring, and sensible wife and mother. The meaning of this has changed over the centuries since the term was first used, yet women still have expectations in their public and private lives that are influenced by this idea. Feminism in Japan has been fighting for equal rights, including legislation for equality in education and the workplace, teaching girls about the dangers of sex work, and helping girls and women understand the control each female has over her own reproductive and sexual bodies (Mackie, 12). This work has changed the way women respond to the ideal of Ryosaikenbo, yet it still influences a woman’s everyday life. The ideal has clear sex roles set for women, including being submissive to husbands while caring for children, but also encompassing appearance, which should be as thin as a woman can make herself. The thin ideal is causing wide spread body image issues. While many women’s issues are improving in Japan, body image in young women is reaching the lowest levels of all time, which is causing eating disorders that can be deadly if untreated. Women are influenced by advertisements daily, and such images depict the ideal body type for the culture. This body type is…
Depending on the perceiver, the Modern Girl presents to us many models. On one hand, it can come to portray all the paradoxical values that were pulling Japanese society part, an "emblem for threats to tradition." On the other hand, the Modern Girl could be seen as a negative cultural construct by the media to hide the real identity of the Modern Girl in Japan, which defined by Silverberg, was militant in character. In both cases, the description of the Modern Girl becomes a creation of either the media or the historian. As gender is a socially constructed and culturally transmitted organiser of our inner and outer worlds, this definition of the Modern Girl will continue to be an ongoing, dynamic and even problematic…
Cited: Storm, Hiroko. “Women In Japanese Provebs.” Asian Folklore Studies 51.2 (1992): 167-182. JSTOR. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.…
The geisha have long served as one of Japan’s oldest professions. They are female entertainers who act as hostesses and engage in conversation, perform traditional dance and music, and play games with their (usually male) clients.Dating back centuries, they have charmed patrons with their wit, humor, and proficiency in the traditional arts.…
The documentary Shinjuku Boys by Kim Longinotto is about three women, Gaish, Tatsu, and Kazuki. They all three decided to live their life as what they think they really are. They consider themselves as “Onabe”. Onabe are women who desires women as their partners, and which is not actually acceptable to the society of Japan. In this paper, I would like to introduce how they struggle being themselves in the Japanese society.…
The history of women in Japanese theater is the history of the social changes that swept the country in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Actresses at this time progressed from a point where they were not allowed to perform at all to the point where they were celebrated artists.…
The road to becoming a geisha is a long and hard one that to this day is looked at upon with far less respect than deserved. Most people tie in the art of geisha with prostitution when in the days where geisha flourished in all parts of Japan, few slept with the men they entertained and when they did so, it was usually with only very special businessmen. The process of becoming a full fledged geisha takes years and consists of 3 stages: Shikomi, Minarai, and Maiko. The art of geisha has been practiced in Japan for thousands of years while today the number of them has plummeted to a mere few thousand in Tokyo and Kyoto. They entertain business men through music, singing, dancing and light conversation. The true art of the geisha has been long misunderstood in the west. In this essay I hope to make the real definition of geisha a clear one. (Wikipedia-geisha)…
The way that masculinity and femininity effect Japanese culture is by having the woman take a back seat in power. According to Hofstede’s concepts, they tend to focus more on achievement and success orientated goals instead of family values. The Japanese ratings on masculinity/femininity dimension in 1991 were -238, which indicate the country prefers masculinity over femininity. This to me tells me that because of such a high rating women in this country are under scrutiny because in high masculine cultures it is believed that men should be assertive and the women should be nurturing. Sexual inequality is regarded as beneficial and the quality of life for a woman is disregarded. (Lustig&Koesterp.127-128) In some cases to show humor they will depict a woman in a room with men present and ask her to leave as a sign to her that it is a men-only meeting, in which case a Japanese man would find this amusing. This would show to another Japanese person that his actions are acceptable to the rigid gender roles they instill. In other cases such as in the work place, family…
1 Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange. 2 Griswold, W. (1994). Cultures and Societies in a Changing World. Pine forge Press.; Alexander, V. (2003). Sociology of the Arts: Exploring…
Categorised as third-wave feminism, kawaii culture can be argued as a segment of the feminism as it allows women to express their identity through colourful, eccentric fashion- otherwise known as Decora fashion. “Decora is empowering. We (decora girls) feel uplifted when we do Decora.” This statement emphasises the idea that decora fashion allows both genders to utilise fashion to express themselves rather than conforming to society. However, this idea was refuted by Akie Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister’s wife, as she proposed that kawaii culture may be holding back Japan’s women “by (the) pressure from men to be cute, rather than capable.” Furthermore, Abe’s statement was further supported by her reference to a government survey, showing that 8.3% of the higher positions in business were female. Abe’s statement is supported from my focus group as the participants’ response to kawaii culture setting unrealistic expectations on women provoked a unanimous “yes.” This indicates that the portrayal of women in kawaii culture has perpetuated the conventions of femininity. Nevertheless, the idea of kawaii culture being part of the feminist movement was rejected by my focus group since “it doesn’t necessarily mean that” kawaii culture is a feminist movement even thought it involves “mostly women,” indicating that kawaii culture should not be depicted as a convention of femininity. The acculturation of kawaii culture is indicated through the conflicting views of kawaii culture being a feminist movement or cementing unrealistic beauty standards, presenting the impacts of kawaii culture on a…