Japanese Notion of Beauty: Gender

Japanese Notion of Beauty: Gender in Japan

In the country of Japan gender has been an important principle of stratification throughout Japanese history, but the cultural elaboration of gender difference has varied over time and among different social classes. Through exploring the Japanese notion of beauty, and focusing on Japanese females I have uncovered that within various sectors, backgrounds, and traditions the female notion of beauty amongst Japanese women is altruistic, traditional, and also placed in many frames of consumerism. Upholding the views of beauty that satisfy a specific need within the Japanese female cultures, women in Japan as a whole have undergone a variety of changes politically and socially which has led to the government encouraging formation of women’s associations, applauding high fertility, and regarding motherhood as a patriotic duty to Japan.

The shift is seen as a shift towards greatness, however Japanese women are living in times of gender inequality some westerners would argue, as phrases such as “good wife,” and “wise mother” continues to influence the beliefs of gender roles. However, most Japanese women are performing a cultural practice of family care taker, as they devote themselves to their children, and home, at least while the children are still young. This practice leaves many Japanese women satisfied with family life and the accomplishments of their children, gaining a sense of fulfillment from doing good jobs as household managers and mothers. This cultural practice views and uplifts motherhood in a way that puts the mother second and the family first the beauty of female gender.

The practice of caretaker within Japanese family life, is speaking truth to the western term ‘mothers being the backbone of the family.” Japanese women are using gender in a way that encompasses family and the values that have been culturally and socially installed in Japan. Following a belief system that places women at the center of the family, Japanese women fulfill a function of manager, and a pillar of strength to keep the family together, finding accomplishment in the family’s accomplishment within the culture of family life.

Mowbray, Nicole. n.d. “Japanese girls choose whiter shade of pale.” The Observer http://0-www.lexisnexis.com.helin.uri.edu/us/lnacademic/frame.do?reloadEntirePage=true&rand=1273224258173&returnToKey=20_T9286372905&parent=docview&target=results_listview_resultsNav&tokenKey=rsh-20.764422.4684527328 (Accessed May 7, 2010).

Japanese Notion of Beauty: Geisha Hair

Japanese Notion of Beauty: Geisha Hair

The hairstyles of Japanese geisha women are essential parts of the geisha culture, and have varied through history. Geisha women in the past have wore their hair down in some periods, and wore their hair up in other periods. Hairstyles in the geisha culture stands for femininity, age, and marital status, exemplify various components of the Japanese geisha female notion of beauty. During the seventeenth century, geisha women began putting their hair up, developing the traditional shimada hairstyle, a type of traditional chignon worn by established geisha.

Within the female geisha there are four major types of shimada, the taka shimada, a high chignon or bun, usually worn by young, single women. Then there is the tsubushi shimada, a more flattened chignon generally worn by older women, the uiwata a chignon that is usually bounded up with a piece of colored cotton crepe, and last but not least the momoware which resembles a split peach. The hairstyles are decorated with elaborate hair combs and hairpins, which showcases the class divide that was evident within Japan as hair-combs were large in the seventeenth century and synonymous with higher-class women. This shows that class does shape culture, and culture does shape class, because during the modern era after the Meiji Restoration smaller less conspicuous hair combs became more popular leaving the large combs that screamed wealth in the dust.

Something as simple as hairstyles within a culture is connected to various forms of society and life, varying from age, marriage, class, and femininity. The Japanese female geisha culture is a culture that prides traditional values, but is not afraid to go through changes, and like the Kimonos tradition is shaped by culture and culture is shaped by tradition.

“Geisha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha (Accessed May 7, 2010).

Dalby, Liza. 1998. Geisha. Berkeley: University of California.