Small face, long legs, and a tiny, tiny waist. This is how most Japanese women would like to look and how Japanese men want women to look. It’s everywhere from their anime to their ads for beauty products, and oh yeah, did I forget to mention the dyed hair and the huge eyes? There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s perfectly alright to want to look a certain way. But there seems to be an obsession here in Japan with this image of perfection.
In a lot of the anime I watch, the heroines almost always fit this description, making them the perfect women. And while some of the women I know wouldn’t admit to it, they apply cosmetics and go on diets to get this exact look. I have, one time or another, enjoyed praises from other girls that are like “顔が小さくて、足も長くて、いいですね。Kao ga chisakute, ashi mo nagakute, iidesune. Your face is small and your legs are long, good for you…” (Ok, I enjoy it all of the time…) But then sometimes it gets uncomfortable. Like for example, when that’s all they can say. And when that’s all they care about…
It also gets too much when men start to think about things like long legs and slimness… for themselves! It’s not enough that they want their women to be petite and cute, they think they must look petite and cute, too! As proof, take a look at this article from Asian Offbeat. I know that Japan has a long history of these pretty men, these boya or those samurai boytoys from like the Warring States Period (戦国時代, Sengoku Jidai). But from what I gathered, it was usually the strong, powerful men who fancied them and not really the women. Here in Japan, there seems to be some shift occurring where beauty, fashion and obviously physical attraction are concerned.
Image via: JapanFan20 and Mizer.malice (through Asian Offbeat)
Hello Japan,
I am a strong Caucasian man. I am married to a beautiful Japanese woman who is 5 feet tall. She is so beautiful to me, I can’t keep my eyes off of her. But you are so right, she sometimes thinks of herself as not as beautiful as taller slinder Japanese women. We went to Japan recently and I saw many young women who dressed and used lots of make up to look like you described. I don’t think this is unique to Japan however. We have the same syndrome in the United States.
I have written a new post titled, “Beauty VS. Evil” take a look and let me know what you think. I like to hear from people from Japan or in Japan for that matter.
You can see my post at:
http://riggword.wordpress.com/
Check it out and leave a comment.
Thanks,
Rigg
Hi Rigg!
Thanks for your comment! Unfortunately, many people here have a hard time being content with how they look. “Gaiken (physical appearance)” is too important to them. I have friends who pray to special gods for beauty and height. I’m pretty sure it’s not unique to Japan, it is universal but maybe Japanese women have more resources to use to indulge themselves?
Your article is really interesting. I have left a comment.