In Comparison: Japanese, Caucasian, and African American Perceptions of Beauty

Japanese Beauty & Philosophy Beauty in Japanese

thought "is not limited to physical beauty, i.e., beautiful flowers, beautiful women, but involves spiritual beauty also because Japanese ideology demands purity of mind, refinement of tastes, of individuals and mutual love.

Extremely aesthetic culture

Wabi-sabi Zen-like philosophy which

emphasizes tranquility with external. In other words, negates the idea that all beauty and knowing is not out there waiting to be discovered, but within each moment.

Natural, ancient way which emphasizes simplicity.

All things are impermanent.All things are imperfect.All things are incomplete.

When accepted, these three tenants, allow for the maturation of contentment and happiness found in the “unvarnished” life. (Powell)

Tatemae and Honne Tatemae literally means

“the outward structure of a building”

Honne refers to the true and inner voice of a person.

Japanese society recognizes these two might conflict due to the fact that society values harmony.

This idea of “face” as it is called or tatemae is important to society which would make outward appearances important.

Past & Present

Japan has more of a mixture of traditional and modern styles in an everyday context. It is not abnormal to walk down the street and see people wearing kimonos in Japan.

Uniforms Uniforms are common in

Japan. To the trained eye, it is possible to tell where everyone “belongs” based off of their uniform.

Each school and company has a different uniform which everyone wears. In companies the presidents wear the same uniform as the factory workers.

This is due to the fact that group unity is essential to Japanese culture.

The Japanese view social harmony as vital and frown upon selfish individualism. It is expected that everyone is different, but social harmony is difficult to attain.

Bihaku Bihaku – An expression which

means 'beautiful white' The Japanese have long been

derma-obsessed. Tanned skin is traditionally looked on with disdain in the Orient, where poets and writers idealized fair-skinned women in their work. Even the Japanese icon, the geisha, was rated by the condition of the skin on the back of her neck - the paler and softer it was, the more beautiful she was deemed to be.

Japanese today will use chemicals to lighten skin color.

Harajuku

Harajuku is a place in Tokyo where, on Sundays, Japanese youth will gather to exhibit their personal style wearing all sorts of odd clothing combinations. Additionally, there are sometimes informal music performances

Considered to be the hottest new source of fashion

This new fashion even more outrageous when juxtaposed with the uniformity or traditionalism typical of Japanese fashion.

Japanese Beauty Regimen

According to the “Challenging Beauty”, a study conducted by Dove relating to differences in perceptions of beauty in different countries, the data illustrate that Japanese women are least likely to consider using deodorant, facial products, skin care as enhancing their beauty. This is considered a normal routine. Japanese women tend to turn more toward color enhancers to feel beautiful.

The data collected for “challenging Beauty” also indicated that Japanese women felt that taking good care of themselves was the best way to feel beautiful

According to the study, an important aspect to feeling beautiful is having a sense of style.

The study showed that Japanese women do not feel pressured by society to look a certain way, in other words, the emphasis and strive for beauty is extremely internalized.

Hip-hop culture in the U.S. and Japan

The European standard of beauty still applies to African-American women today despite the negative self-opinion it tends to promote.

Hip-hop culture, despite its frequent objectification of women, seeks to break-down old gender roles and therefore gains a wider audience.

In Japan, female Hip-Hopers use the genre to defy gender restrictions for women

Idealized Features: Japanese Pale skin Straight hair Clean complexion Personal sense of style Slim and cute “kawaii”

Despite amount of western models, retain a sense of national identity in terms of what is considered beautiful i.e. pale skin.

DUDES

Men not considered part of the equation in terms of beauty

In the past, men primping or being overly concerned with their looks was not attractive at it was un-masculine.

Having a good physique is essential to the male model of physical attractiveness.

Men: Past and Present

Men who are admired at present tend to be more androgynous than in the past

Men starting to take beauty into account and spend more time thinking about fashion and grooming etc.

These men have been dubbed “metrosexuals”

Metrosexual Japanese Men Japanese men have

overwhelmingly gone for the metrosexual lifestyle.

Average 20 something males in Japan spend more time in a salon than average 20 something females in the U.S.

Japanese men are using a range of products including Clinique etc.

Men are spending exorbitant amounts of money, a man might spend $5,000 for a “casual” outfit consisting of only the most notable designers.

Ideal Features: African-American At present:

Light skin color Styled hair European features Thin

Idealized Features: Caucasian-American toned build Tanned skin Long, shiny hair As tall as possible Clear complexion

Comparisons

Japanese and African-American culture prefer lighter skin.

White people prefer tanned skin

Japan: everything goes (more of a mixture between traditional and modern)

Comparisons cont.

Both Japanese and African-American women desire straight hair however, they utilize different methods of obtaining it.

Especially important in African-American women, in Japan it is just a preference

Three different cultures not extremely varied either in what is considered beautiful, nor how to obtain beauty.

“If all our women were to become as beautiful as Venus de Medici we should for a time be charmed, but we should soon wish for variety, and as soon as we had obtained variety we should wish to see certain characteristics in our women a little exaggerated beyond the then existing common standard” -Darwin

I say let me never be

completeI say may I never be contentI say deliver me from Swedish furnitureI say deliver me from clever artsI say deliver me from clear skin and perfect teethI say you have to give upI say evolve, and let the chips fall where they may

Beautiful. Freaking beautiful.

-Tyler Durden, Fight Club (inadvertently advertising the principles of wabi-sabi)

Once there was an ugly barnacle, he was SO ugly that everyone died. The end.

–Patrick Star

Works Cited

Non-Digital Sources: “Ain’t I a Beauty Queen?”  Black Women, Beauty, and the

Politics of Race by Maxine Leeds Craig, Oxford University

Press, New York, 2002.  Contemporary Japan. McCargo, Duncan.

Works Cited

Websites (Data): http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/uploadedfiles/dove_whit

e_paper_final.pdf http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,1185335,00.html http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NTN/is_47/ai_1087

22594 http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/2395/Black

_hair_care_and_culture_a_story http://www.japanesestreets.com/magazines.htm http://www.morbidoutlook.com/fashion/articles/2000_11_japane

se.html

Works Cited

Websites (Pictures): http://www.ruggedelegantliving.com/a/images/

Beyonce.Carousel.jpg http://www.moviereporter.net/newsimages/newsGross_368.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/hikkiforever/

magazines/08.jpg

Works Consulted

English Japanese Dictionary. Harper Collins Publishers. Glasgow, Great Britain, 2003

Making Out in Japanese. Geers, Todd & Erika. Tuttle Publishing, Tokyo, Japan, 2003.

Oshare. Shiro & Hana. Japan. (It’s a Japanese fashion book, I can’t read any of it!)

http://www.translatum.gr/converter/currency.htm http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/amos/mosaic01steel/

je/WIGS.jpg http://www.beautifulhairdos.com/pictures/beyonce.01.jpg