What do you think of Japan's Harajuku girls? What about the "cuteness" culture in gen

Is it just a coping mechanism for gettting through hard reality? I believe it is not detrimental to the culture's or individual's mindset. It is probably just complimentary to the Japanese culture and is compatible w/o being degenerative. I don't think that it promotes arrested emotional or intellectual development or stultifies the culture or the Japanese society . . .I believe that this low 'anomie' society and culture with it's formal and fundamental components is tweaking itself with a little power-play within it's traditional 'safe' confines . . .by adopoting a baby/infantile juxtaposition with . . .?

I don't know. . .just think about the 'scary' sexy, e.g. leather jacket, slicked back hair (in a woman. . .llike in 'Grease' when 'Sandy' comes out at the end) . . .now think of the opposite . . with the predictability and safeness being the allurringness . . hmm.

What do you think of Japan's Harajuku girls? What about the "cuteness" culture in general?

Being really frank... This whole thing kinda freaks me out...

Looking and dressing like a child, seems to turn ppl on...

It seems like the japanese have a affiliation to pedophelia...

I think its perversion..!!

I disagree with you when u say its doesnt justify arrested emotional or intellectual development...

I think it has to do with something about their refusal to grow up and accept responsibility and reality...

I saw a piece on CNN, young girls and women, stand like small children; they stand pigeon-toed, shoulders slightly scrunched up so as to appear smaller, and tilt their heads on one side or tuck it in their chest, wear frilly, baby clothes, socks, bibs and all, tie their hair in 2 ponytails........!!!!

They try not only dress like a child but act a child too....its freaky!!

This "style" or "culture" will defiantely contribute to the infantilization and disempowerment of women...

Young women dressed as children will only hurt attempts for women to move into the grown-up world of politics and business as equals to men..

I read a theory called "Chic Theory" that says it forces the body to rearrange itself according to social expectations and thus such women run the risk of being shaped into weak, childlike women..not just physically, but emotionally as well...

I dont in anyway, mean to insult Japanese people or culture...

I am sorry if u are Japanese and are hurt by what i said, but you asked for an opinion, and i am giving u a frank one.

What do you think of Japan's Harajuku girls? What about the "cuteness" culture in general?

They usually outgrow them when maurity and the 'real' world kicks in. Getting a job,that sort of thing. In the mean time, if they are not complaining about it, and nobody is hurt by it, hey, whatever rocks their boat, more power to them!

Peace.

What do you think of Japan's Harajuku girls? What about the "cuteness" culture in general?

Speaking as someone who lived in Japan (and not military, either, mind you) for ten years, I'd be deighted to offer my opinion on this bizarre phenomenon.

Men in Japan are not well socialized, and many find women alien, and even threateniing. A female who is young...underdeveloped body, childish hair and attitude...is appealing; she seems simpler and more easy to control (of course, this is not necessarily true!).

Pedophilia has great appeal, and women who are interested in attracting a man find it much to their advantage to play along, as it were. This recently has reached the nadir of young women wearing actual baby clothes (scaled up, of course), right down to the ruffled bonnet and all-day sucker. I swear I'm not making this up.

Cuteness pervades everything in Japan, to an extent not grasped by most Westerners. All manner of things...underwear, credit cards, bank books...are emblazoned with cartoon characters; women wear their hair in dopey ponytails that sprout from the sides of their heads, held with Hello Kitty elastics; backhoes come in violet and hot pink. To my Western eyes, it was simultaneously cloying and irritating.

My personal understanding of beauty includes elements of power and strength; think of Niagara Falls, or an ice dancer. To the Japanese, cuteness is preferable to beauty: not strength, but lots of fluff. LOTS of fluff.

I came away from my experience with both an appreciation for Hello Kitty (she does get under your skin), but a disgust for the peculiar tastes, shall we say, of Japanese men.

Remember that this is only my opinon; your may vary!