Embodying Japan: Cultures of Sport, Beauty, and Medicine 2017 Main Menu Eugenics: Creating a Japanese Race A discussion of the "Japanese Race" and Japan's Eugenics Movement Are You Considered Beautiful In Japan? Exploring Some East-Asian Beauty Standards & Their Meanings Hope for the Future: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder The Future of Beauty in Japan 100 Years of Japanese Beauty Exploring The Truth, Meaning and Evolution Behind The '100 Years of Japanese Beauty" video Not Beautiful Enough To Live in Korea? Dismembering over-broad arguments and assumptions against and about Koreans - and Asians in general Q&A Session With Dr. Kim Soo Shin: A Renowned Korean Plastic Surgeon's Perspective I asked Dr. Kim Soo Shin, a South Korean plastic surgeon, for his thoughts on beauty and the popularity of cosmetic surgery in South Korea and East Asian in general. The Salaryman, Hikikomori, and Hostesses Japan's capitalist driven gender identities and the consquences that result Hafus: Mixed Race People in Japan (Part 1) Bodies and Hygiene in Japan Salaryman Culture and Masculine Identity Analysis of salaryman culture and how changes lead to development of other masculinities, mainly "herbivore" masculinity Gender and Identity in Modern Japan Globalization, nationalized pressures, and how Japanese youth are responding to a history of gender Japanese Beauty Standards in Music and Fashion How are Japanese beauty standards conveyed through alternative youth street fashions and pop music in Japan? Beauty Regime The main page for the Beauty in Japan Group Sex & Sexuality

Shiseido's High School Girl Advertisement

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Watch this viral video advertisement from the Japanese skincare and beauty brand Shiseido and see if you notice anything before the big reveal. [Note: I linked a video that provides English subtitles for you guys, but you can find the original subtitle-free version on Youtube (which has 10 million+ views!)]. I thought this was an incredible and creative clip, not only for confronting global assumptions around gender norms, but for its unique visual approach (using multiple people instead of just one was super-effective, IMO). It's definitely a plot twist for most people (shock value is definitely an attention-grabber/share-worthy over social media), and a powerful, evocative way to start a conversation on gender fluidity/identity/changing the body. And released from a Japanese beauty brand, no less! There is hope for the future! What do you guys think/make of this video? I love how it weaves and connects beauty, gender, control of the body and societal norms (all distinct topics) into one coherent message of acceptance/open-mindedness/broader perspective/inherent assumptions/etc. It takes on so much, but I think it does it effectively and well. However, there's always that capitalist element I wonder about... it is a commercial, after all, seeking to promote predominantly female beauty products. I don't think the brand was necessarily encouraging experimentation - to be pessimistic, Shiseido may have just been using boys to prove that their beauty products could make 'even men' look 'pretty.' The effect, regardless of intention, was so much greater though - at least for me. I see it as a step forward in the right direction, an indication of changing times - however slow that may be. 

It reminds me of the quote: 
"How do you eat an elephant?"
"One bite at a time."

Contents of this path:

  1. Beauty Regime
  2. Are You Considered Beautiful In Japan?

This page has tags:

  1. Beauty Regime Tahjamare Fogle
  2. Capitalizing on Japanese Youth Culture Shannon Brooks
  3. Korean Beauty Courtney Cho
  4. Beauty Ideals Courtney Cho
  5. Courtney Cho Courtney Cho
  6. Beauty Culture Courtney Cho
  7. Nationalism Shannon Brooks

Contents of this tag:

  1. Korean Beauty in Japan
  2. Japanese Beauty Standards in Music and Fashion