Young Japanese women and girls are suffering from the Yaeba Complex. Unlike their counterparts in many other developed nations who view straight teeth as perfection, the Japanese are instead opting to undergo the expensive and painful procedure of creating crooked teeth. In this essay, through the lenses of the growing Yaeba trend, I will account for the reasons that contribute to this seemingly weird Japanese obsession of a preference for an imperfect smile, and study the possible societal issues that have resulted in the former's emergence. A cross-country analysis between Japan and America will also be briefly conducted to highlight the cultural similarities and differences between a highly Westernised Japan and the West itself. Yaeba …show more content…
This is in part due to numerous Japanese celebrities hopping onto the bandwagon of Yaeba procedures (Considine, 2011), playing an instrumental role in popularising and defining a new beauty fashion. Indeed, a quick search on the internet churns out dozens of websites highlighting numerous prominent Japanese celebrities proudly displaying their Yaeba, with the phrase 'cute', ubiquitous in the descriptions . Gathering from this popularised trend of Yaeba procedures in pursuit of cute beauty, I posit that there are two main social issues that can be drawn to conclusion. After all, a social trend highlights the underlying larger social issues. Firstly, I question if the Yaeba fascination points out to an underlying female subordination trend, where women are simply keen to please men. It has been suggested in various accounts that Japanese men swoon over women with a Yaeba smile (Didymus, 2013), as Yaeba is viewed as a child-like feature (Dumas, 2011). This possibly elevates the superiority of men as protectors and evokes a desire for men to protect women. Such an unhealthy obsession with women possessing child-like appearance also seems to be "sexualising women" (Considine, 2011) into symbols of possession, and belittling women as a weaker sex that is dependent on men for
As of recently, the media has been flooded with positive interpretations of beauty standards all over the world. According to various sources, beauty ideals, in women especially, are socially constructed in order to judge a person’s value based on physical attractiveness; therefore, it is highly encouraged that people pay attention to their looks and take care of themselves, in order for others to create a positive first impression of one’s character. It is no secret that beauty standards vary from one culture to the next and it is difficult to establish a universal principle of what is considered beautiful. Many countries’ ideals contrast one another and, as a result, allow for stereotypes to emerge. This is the case between American
The article Cosmetic Surgery and the Cultural Construction of Beauty by Lorrie Blair and Maya Shalmon uncover the never ending popularity of cosmetic surgery. They base their sayings on many articles and researches presented in the March
Recently, religion has become very controversial as many people think that their religion is the only true religion, and that if one does not follow that religion, bad things will come. This has even gone so far as to make people commit violent, murderous acts in the name of their god. While reading fairytales are definitely a welcome escape from this crazy world, the principles displayed in such stories also teach valuable lessons about what really matters and how we, as humans, should conduct ourselves. In the Slavic fairytale Baba Yaga, the inclusion of both Pagan and Christian values helps to develop the message that regardless of religion, basic kindness and compassion dictate one’s fortune.
In modern times, more and more people think that they are not beautiful enough. They try to make some changes to their appearance. For some people, because they want to look like their favorite celebrity or idol, they change their appearance. Some girls might think their face shape, such as nose, eyes, and mouth, are not as perfect as they want. Moreover, owing to the development of technology, people can choose to do more activities to become beautiful; also, they may spend money to do so.
Culture is something that defines what society is and how it will act. As a result of this cultures evolve and shift over time. This evolution of culture is encouraged, a culture that is stagnant and not changing is one that will ultimately die and fade away. But because this evolution is caused by humans it is an imperfect evolution and many times as a result harmful things come to be integral parts of society. As stated in “Evolving Ideals of Male Body Image as Seen Through Action Toys” we can see one of the negative results of this evolution is the drive to perfect ones image so that it will match that of the stated “standard”. This essay goes into great detail about how action figures of male movie characters and superheroes have evolved into a glorified image of the male figure with proportions and physical features that are not humanly possible, thus having a great impact on how young children perceive how they should look as they grow up. Having the mindset that is portrayed by these actions figures is even dangerous on this small scale. Ideals are many times not degraded and destroyed by one main factor, but rather a combination of many different variables. Current cultural norms today dictate that we conform ourselves to what is accepted. From how we look, who we are friends with, even what we eat. This trend is dangerous and threatens the diversity that has made human kind great.
In the article, “Why Women Smile,” Cunningham conveys how she believes smiles to be, “not the small and innocuous things they appear to be…” (172). Cunningham analyzes the various reasonings behind the smiling women throughout our history and the world. For example, she reports that the Japanese smile is often conveyed to hide sadness. This smile was often expressed in their history if a wife's husband was a samurai who died in battle. She notes that, “Women are expected to smile no matter where they line up on the social, cultural, or economic ladder” (174). Cunningham goes into further detail on the trademarked American smile. She discovers that social pressures on women to continually smile began with the advertising of smiling females. Eventually, this lead the smiling woman
Thesis Statement: Since the media has placed remarkable pressure on the physical imperfections of women, the majority of females nowadays are unable to understand the fact that getting their face reconstructed to fit society’s concept of beauty is definitely not the way to promote beauty.
During the 19th-Century, she stated, that the main people who smile in America were primarily women and African-American Slaves because it gave an “I’m harmless. I won’t assert myself here” image to those around. She elaborated to readers that Europeans were surprised upon their arrival to this country because people were constantly smiling. Americans typically aren’t good at formal greetings so a smile is a warm way that most people enticed others. Fake smiles do nothing for the average person but studies show that real smiles have a positive psychological
It’s difficult to envision a world where idealized female imagery is not plastered everywhere, but our present circumstance is a relatively new occurrence. Before the mass media existed, our ideas of beauty were restricted to our own communities. Until the introduction of photography in 1839, people were not exposed to real-life images of faces and bodies. Most people did not even own mirrors. Today, however, we are more obsessed with our appearance than ever before. But the concern about appearance is quite normal and understandable given society’s standards. According to Jane Kilborne, “Every period of history has had its own standards of what is and is not beautiful, and every contemporary society has its own distinctive concept of the
Young people all around the world are unhappy with their looks because they see perfect skin, perfect hair, or other perfect facial features from pop icons splashed all over social media. These reminders that these celebrities are perfect, brings down the self esteem of the common young person. "Western beauty ideals — actually, man-made Western beauty ideals — have spread to the rest of the world through globalization and are now being upheld as models even in places like India and Japan," Rossini told Mic Network Inc. "And they have very dangerous consequences.” The Kardashians and Jenner’s are some of the most famous families on the earth, and the media never ceases to document every move they make. Many young people look up to the
One’s perspective about such a controversial topic like beauty can be easily influenced by everyday situations. The theory of social comparison states, “women are negatively affected by constant exposure to models that fulfill the unrealistic media ideal of beauty”. Society has been corrupted by the negative messages portrayed in the media. As beauty continues to evolve the media and other social networks begin to introduce the concept of universal beauty. People continuously create an image and portray it as an ideal self.
The article “Japanese Bodies and Western Ways of Seeing in the Late Nineteenth Century”, written by Satsuki Kawano, mainly discussed the evolvement of Japanese people’s concept regarding on the exposure of skin since Tokugawa hegemony (1603-1868). Based on my understanding, I would summarize Kawano’s argument that frequent body exposure in Japan does not mean that Japanese people are uncivilized. Kawano claimed that making the undressed body socially appropriate depended on “practices of bodily adornment” and “people’s cultivation of different rules of seeing.” In order to further demonstrate her opinion, Kawano explored how the Western-based notions of bodily modesty penetrated Japanese people in the late nineteenth century.
This period of Japanese history is notable by its visual impact. During the Heien era women had the most influence upon the social aesthetics of society at the time. They dictated what was beautiful in all things, including poetry, wardrobe, the arrangement of their homes and gardens. Such a profound influence has continued to be important within Japan today, as many of the Heian precepts of beauty are still considered the height of society today. Beauty, in all things, was considered of utmost importance: in language, the written word, the spoken word, the costume, gardens, and in the very essence of the culture. Mono no aware, a term coined in the 19th century by Motoori Norinaga in regards to the Heian concept of beauty, best describes the Heian thoughts of beauty. “Beauty is precious, because it is brief” (Hooker, 1999). The term aware during the Heian era represented sensitivity to things ranging from beauty to sadness, life, love or death.
Visual Kei is one of the longest lasting subcultures within Tokyo, however, a new subculture trend is visually striking in a far opposite way. It 's called Yamanba and it has people at a loss for words. Most are conflicted as to whether this subculture is attractive or a joke. Yamanba dress features vibrantly colored ultra feminine clothing, long teased colored hair with extensions, and bizarre face makeup that will make anyone take a second look. Yamanba is virtually a female only subculture that emerged from the ashes of the ganguro subculture of the mid to late 1990’s. It is a subculture that, similar to its predecessor, has set out to challenge the societal norms of Japanese beauty standards: pale skin, neutral makeup, dark hair. Yamanba females darken their faces to a shade of dark orange and borderline black pigment. Then, they contour it with bright white and shades of pink without the use of evening and blending the skin tone. The dress of Yamanba communicates anarchy and protest to the patriarchal society and repressing standard of beauty for women; and to those who wear the Yamanba dress, it communicates freedom of expression and freedom from society 's robotic standards of beauty.
This era of Japan is notable by its visual impact, an area of life that the women had the most influence upon their society at the time and that influence has continued within Japan today. Beauty, in all things, was considered of utmost importance: in language, the written word, the spoken word, the costume, gardens, and in the very essence of the culture. Mono no aware, a term coined in the 19th century by Motoori Norinaga in regards to the Heian concept of beauty, best describes the Heian thoughts of beauty. “Beauty is precious, because it is brief” (Hooker, 1999). The term aware during the Heian era represented sensitivity to things ranging from beauty to sadness, life, love or death.