Exam

Okay, it's not done, it isn't sourced yet, and it needs alot of filling out, but here goes!



Prostitution is commonly called the world’s oldest profession; the practice of selling sex for compensation has existed across cultures since man has been recording history. Social tolerance for it has varied widely; some cultures and times have accepted it as natural, others regulated it only for the sake of disease control and to prevent the abuse of women. More recent societies have turned a blind eye; criminalizing it but not enforcing the law. While prostitution must involve two people, elimination efforts have always focused on the prostitutes themselves, never their customers. Nearly all prostitution (heterosexual or otherwise) serves the sexual whims of men; very little prostitution has ever served women of any class anywhere.

Most analysis of prostitution suggests that both men and women enter prostitution mainly for monetary reasons. Historically there have been very few professions open to women outside of the sex trade, especially if they lacked family support or class status to aspire to one of the other few professions women could participate in.

An economic argument has been boosted in the past few decades by the development of East Asian sex trades, which form significant portions of their nation’s economies. American military installations during the Vietnam War helped begin sex trades as the global economy forced agrarian cultures to move towards capitalist systems. Sex trades boomed as young girls were sold or forced into urban prostitution to support struggling rural families. Currently it is common for men from First World countries to join tours in East Asian countries that consist entirely of patronizing the sex industry. Many nations have made crack downs and expanded jurisdiction of such crimes into foreign countries. But the crimes are seldom reported and even less frequently prosecuted. The mythologies surrounding virginity and the thrill of the power differential between a grown man and a young girl also ensure that children, sometimes as young as six, are also included.

International feminist coalitions are working to eliminate prostitution on the grounds that sex work is an extreme manifestation of patriarchy. Women’s social positions are in subservience to men, and their work connected to the servicing of men for support. Even further, prostitution holds up the good girl/ bad girl dichotomy. Limiting and repressing female sexuality to maintain the social “good girl” status, and degrading sexual expression outside of the patriarchal marriage.

Even since Mesopotamian time, attitudes surrounding prostitution have changed multiple times from an embraced necessity to a cultural evil. The Victorian era (1840-1900) experienced the same fluctuations in their thoughts; empathy in the beginning and complete rejection towards the end. Modern America has kept the Victorian outlook because the social problems and debates around prostitution remain the same.

With the 1800’s came a “war on prostitution.” Although many of the practices used were abusive and ineffective, it is important to note the ideas they gave birth to. Nineteenth century feminists including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Martineau, and Margaret Sanger were inspired by this movement to view prostitution not in male terms but see the women (and men) involved as victims of male society. Victorian feminists saw prostitutes’ not as horrible, fallen women (as some Christian groups portrayed them) but as victims of men’s desire to keep women oppressed.

Victorian women became prostitutes for simple reasons, they had no other choice. Dr. William Sanger (husband of Margaret Sanger) was one of the foremost researchers of prostitution at the time. He examined the identity of the average prostitute and attempted to understand why they had chosen that lifestyle. He found that most prostitutes were in their late teens and early twenties; illiterate, usually coming from poor or broken families. Poverty, social disgrace, and lack of education left few roads open to them. Many expected to remain prostitutes only until a better option revealed itself. Many immigrant women who had come to America without money or by force had only prostitution open to them. It was a means of survival.

Prostitution soon became a very visible, industrialized business. With the growing middle class and increased standard of living (for male factory workers mind you) the demand grew; women were bodies for hire, and businesses stood to profit. Soon societal views changed from pity to disgust. At the turn of the century, many Christian organizations such as the New York Female Reform Society offered to shelter prostitutes if they would repent and turn to religion. Those who refused received no aide. The issue was complicated by society’s inability to discuss such an unacceptable issue. It was society’s double standard and its male view of the functions and duties of women that was sick, not the women themselves. Because they could do nothing about it, prostitution eventually became an industry they could no longer ignore; yet they could not (and would not) stop the men from perpetuating the business.

The few solutions offered to prostitution in the Victorian Era caused more problems than they solved. The Christian organizations only offered help to those willing to convert and conform, and the economic support ended shortly thereafter, which only delayed the return to the sex trade as there was no other source of income. Police abuse was already an issue and the government felt that divvying them more power would only exacerbate the problem. The medical professionals involved were only concerned with protecting men by stopping the spread of diseases, which they dealt with ineffectively at best. The ‘First Contagious Disease Prevention Act’ in 1864 worsened women’s situation. In towns with military populations women suspected of being prostitutes had to subject themselves to invasive and involuntary periodical genital exams. The law applied to women only because military doctors believed that these shameful examinations would destroy a man’s self-respect. (The act was finally repealed in 1886)

Today, women are prostitutes for many different reasons, the roots of which remain in the Victorian era. Unjust economic conditions continue to place women in positions of dependence on men, many slipping through the cracks into prostitution for survival (especially those living on the streets). Some prostitutes explanation for becoming involved in the trade include having a history of sexual abuse, having grown up without love from significant adults (or an absence of significant adults altogether), being enticed by male peer, and those involved with drugs prior to their involvement in the sex trade attribute the addiction as a major cause for their choice.

Geisha: Bigger, Longer, More Makeup

Since last time I talked about Geisha I got so many more responses than on any of the other blogs, and because I personally didn't know a whole lot about Geisha's specifically, I decided to do a longer, more in depth blog. Basically I went to a bunch of places and highlighted information I found prevalent to someone who knows Jack about Geisha.



Geisha
Geisha", The word consists of two kanji, (gei) meaning "art" and (sha) meaning "person" or "doer". The most direct translation of geisha into English would be "artist" or "performing artist".

Dress
True geisha usually have a professional aide to help them in the difficult process of dressing; their clothing is made up of several layers of kimono and undergarments, and an obi (the large waistband/sash that makes up the bow in the back) is more than a simple band of cloth. Dressing could take over an hour, even with professional help.

Training and Employment
Apprentice geisha are called maiko. This word is made of the kanji (mai) meaning "dance" and (ko) meaning "child". It is the maiko, with her white make-up (which established Geisha generally wear only for very special performances) and elaborate kimono and hairstyle, that has become the stereotype of a "geisha" to westerners, rather than the true geisha. A woman entering the geisha community does not have to start out as a maiko, having the opportunity to begin her career as a full geisha. In fact, a woman above 21 is considered too old to be a maiko and becomes a full geisha upon her initiation into the geisha community. However, those who do go through the maiko stage enjoy more prestige later in their professional lives.

Traditionally, they began their training at a very young age. Although some girls were sold to geisha houses ("okiya") as children, this was not common practice in reputable districts. Daughters of geisha were often brought up as geisha themselves, usually as the successor ("atotori" meaning heir) or daughter-role ("musume-bun") to the okiya.

The first stage of training was called shikomi. When girls first arrived at the okiya, they would be put to work as maids, required to do any necessary tasks. The work was difficult with the intent to "make" and "break" the new girls. The most junior shikomi of the house would have to wait late into the night for the senior geisha to return from engagements, sometimes as late as two or three in the morning. During this stage of training, the shikomi would go to classes at the hanamachi's (the geisha district's) geisha school. In modern times, this stage still exists to accustom the girls to the traditional dialect, traditions and dress of the "karyūkai."

Once the recruit became proficient with the geisha arts, and passed a final, difficult dance exam, she would be promoted to the second stage of training: minarai. Minarai are relieved of their housekeeping duties. The minarai stage focuses on training in the field. Although minarai attend ozashiki (banquets in which guests are attended by geisha), they do not participate at an advanced level. Their kimono, more elaborate than a maiko's, are intended to do the talking for them. Minarai can be hired for parties, but are usually uninvited (yet welcomed) guests at parties that their onee-san ("older sister": the Minarai's senior or mentor) attends. They charge 1/3 hanadai (fee). Minarai generally work with a particular tea house (called "minarai-jaya") learning from the "okaa-san" (proprietress of the house). These techniques are not taught in school, as skills such as conversation and gaming can only be absorbed through practice. This stage lasts only about a month or so.

After a short period of time, the third (and most famous) stage of training began, called maiko. Maiko are apprentice geisha, and this stage can last for years. Maiko learn from their senior geisha mentor and follow them around to all their engagements. The onee-san/imouto-san (junior) relationship is important. Since the onee-san teaches her maiko everything about working in the hanamachi, her teaching is vital. She will teach her proper ways of serving tea, playing shamisen, and dancing, casual conversation and more. The onee-san will even help pick the maiko's new professional name with kanji or symbols related to her own name. Regional variations exist, as the han'gyoku of Tokyo are known for being sassy and the Kyoto maiko are known for being demure.

After a period as short as six months (in Tokyo) or as long as five years (in Kyoto), the maiko is promoted to a full-fledged geisha, and charges full price for her time. Geisha remain as such until they retire.

A "Danna", Love, and Marriage
Geisha are expected to be single women; those who choose to marry must retire from the profession. So it was traditional in the past for established geisha to take a danna, or patron. A danna was typically a wealthy man, sometimes married, who had the means to support the very large expenses related to a geisha's traditional training and other costs. This sometimes occurs today as well, but very rarely.
A geisha and her danna may or may not be in love, but intimacy is never viewed as a reward for the danna's financial support. The traditional conventions and values within such a relationship are very intricate and not well understood, even by many Japanese.
While it is true that a geisha is free to pursue personal relationships with men she meets through her work, such relationships are carefully chosen and unlikely to be casual. A hanamachi tends to be a very tight-knit community and a geisha's good reputation is not taken lightly

For more nifty info
http://www.immortalgeisha.com/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/ominobu/geisha.htm
http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/geisha.shtml

President Ford and a Geisha

(because I can)

Women in Japan: Period History

Japan's History is divided into periods, and this link will take you to a page I found about women in Japan's earliest periods.

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ANCJAPAN/WOMEN.HTM

It's somewhat long, but if you have any interest it's worth it. I was surprised by the pages remarks on religion in ancient Japan (which was almost complete Shinto), "Shinto is one of the few religions in a patriarchal culture that did not abandon the overall form of a matriarchal religion. This suggests that female shamanism was highly likely in Japan before the advent of Buddhism, although there is no physical evidence for it." Even today in Japan there are upkept Shinto shrines and a percentage of the population still identify as Shinto, in which there are still recognised Priestesses. (Whereas Buddism is known only for male monks)

I was also surprised about the haniwa figurines. (terra cotta figures) "One can conclude little or nothing about the status of women in early Japan from the haniwa figurines from the tumuli period. The only distinguishing feature between most figurines labelled as male and those labelled as female are that the male figurines represent some economic function while the "female" figurines are more abstract. These are more likely modern impositions; figurines representing hunters or other economic functions could very well be female figurines, though we naturally assume, from our own modern perspective, that they're male." I thought this was interesting because I had seen haniwa before, but had never thought about never seeing one I could definitely call "female" even though many of the figures have soft features and many have no facial hair.

Manga Terms: What Is She Talking About?

Manga are Japanese comics and print cartoons, conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after WWII but have a long, complex history in earlier Japanese art.

In Japan, manga are widely read by people of all ages, and include a broad range of subjects: action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, horror, sexuality, and business and commerce, among others. Since the 1950s, manga have steadily become a major part of the Japanese publishing industry, representing a 481 billion yen market in Japan in 2006 (approximately 4.4 billion dollars). Manga have also become increasingly popular worldwide. In 2006, the United States manga market was $175–200 million. Manga are typically printed in black and white on thick paper, although some full-color manga exist. In Japan, manga are usually serialized in telephone book-size manga magazines, often containing many stories each presented in a single episode to be continued in the next issue (like their American comic book counterparts). If the series is successful, collected chapters may be republished in paperback books called tankobon. A manga artist (mangaka) typically works with a few assistants in a small studio and is associated with a creative editor from a commercial publishing comoany. If a manga series is popular enough, it may be animated (into an anime, hense the name) after or even during its run, although sometimes manga are drawn centering on previously existing media, like the Star Wars films.

Manga as a term outside of Japan refers specifically to comics originally published in Japan. However, manga and manga-influenced comics, among original works, exist in other parts of the world, particularly in Taiwan ("manhua"), South Korea ("manhwa"), and the People's Republic of China, notably Hong Kong ("manhua"). In France, "la nouvelle manga" is drawn in styles influenced by Japanese manga. In the U.S., manga-like comics are called Amerimanga, world manga, or OEL manga. Manga made in Japan that arrives in the U.S. however is still just called manga.

Types of Manga:

Shōjo, shojo, or shoujo manga refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10 and 18. Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, often with a strong focus on human and romantic relationships and emotions. Strictly speaking, shōjo manga is not a style or a genre per se, but rather an indicator of a targeted demographic.

Shōnen manga is manga with a target demographic of young boys generally between the ages of about 10 and 17. Shōnen manga is typically characterized by high-action, often humorous plots featuring male protagonists. The camaraderie between boys or men on sports teams, fighting groups and the like is often emphasized. Attractive female characters with exaggerated features are also common, but are not a requirement. The art style of shōnen is generally less flowery than that of shojo, although this varies greatly from artist to artist, and some artists draw both shōnen and shōjo manga.

Seinen is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at an 18–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be much older with some comics aimed at men well into their 40s. It has a wide variety of art styles and more variation in subject matter, ranging even into the pornographic. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men", and it is not indicative of sexual matter.

Josei manga or "ladies' comics," is a term that refers to the target demographic created mostly by women or late teens and adult female audiences. In Japanese, the word josei means simply "female" and has no manga-related connotations at all. Manga branded as "Ladies' Comics" has acquired a reputation for being low-brow and the term josei was created to move away from that image. The stories tend to be about everyday experiences of women living in Japan. Though there are some that cover high school, most cover the lives of adult women. The style also tends to be a more restrained, realistic version of shojo, keeping some of the wispy features and getting rid of the very large sparkly eyes. There are exceptions in the style described above, but what defines josei is some degree of stylistic continuity of comics within this particular demographic (the same is true with different demographics that have different stylistic tendencies). Josei also tends to be both more explicit and contain more mature storytelling.


Kodomo manga is manga or anime directed specifically towards small children and follows predictable guidelines that you can probably imagine based on the descriptions above.


Why is any of that important?
When we look at manga, we're looking at raw pop-culture. And pop-culture is a great way to look at modern attitudes compared to old ones. If we looks at shojo manga now, as opposed to shojo manga 30 years ago, we see radical changes in the attitude expressed towards and by women. Manga sales are on the rise in the U.S., so these ideas are flowing in faster than you could imagine. By looking at manga we look at women in Japan (and America) now, and make predictions about what the young women who grew up on it will be like years from now. We went from princesses being saved to girls being princes saving other princesses. Men who turn into women. The non-puritanical East is pouring into the young minds of the conservative West, reforming opinions, destroying basis, and forming attitudes towards Gender, Sex, and what is and is not appropriate for young women.

Jigai: Death for Honor

(The wife of Onodera Junai, one of the Forty-seven Ronin, prepares for her suicide.)

The word jigai literally means "suicide." The usual modern word for suicide is jisatsu. Jigai refers to suicide by both females and males including samurai (but usually this word is reserved exclusively for female suicide). Male suicide is usually called Harakiri, or Sepukku (both meaning "ritual suicide").

Some females belonging to samurai family committed suicide by cutting the jugular vein with a knife. The main purpose was to achieve a quick and certain death in order to avoid capture. Before committing suicide, a woman would often tie her knees together so her body would be found in a dignified pose, despite the convulsions of death. Jigai, however, does not refer exclusively to this particular mode of suicide. Jigai was often done to preserve one's honor if a military defeat was imminent, so as to prevent rape. Invading armies would often enter homes to find the lady of the house seated alone, facing away from the door. On approaching her, they would find that she had ended her life long before they reached her.

I found this while meandering through random Samurai history, and I found it somewhat intriguing. While women have been killing themselves to prevent from being "dishonored" since men have been killing each other, I hadn't ever seen anything Japanese related to the subject. That women actually had a title for this duty and were in fact expected to kill themselves seems to go hand in hand with the male version sepukku, being that you must kill yourself to preserve your own honor rather than having it taken away. But while men loose honor through being killed by another, women lose honor by living with another. Which seems to again suggest that women belong to their men and should be willing to kill themselves (as he is) should his endeavors fail. While obviously this would be advantageous to the woman, being that she would want to avoid being raped or forced into servitude, I can't help but think that it still has something to do with ownership.

Working Women in Japan; Changing Demographic

After WWII, the fixed image of the Japanese woman has been that of the office worker, who becomes a housewife and a kyoiku mama ('education mother') after marriage. But a new generation of educated women is emerging, that is seeking a career as a working woman.

Japanese women are joining the labor force in unprecedented numbers. In 1987 there were 24.3 million working women (40% of the labor force), and they accounted for 59% of the increase in employment from 1975 to 1987. The participation rate for women in the labor force (the ratio of those working to all women aged fifteen and older) rose from 45.7% in 1975 to 50.6% in 1991 and was expected to reach 50% by 2000.

In 1990 approximately 50 % of all women over fifteen years of age participated in the paid labor force. At that time, two major changes in the female work force were under way. The first was a move away from household-based employment. Peasant women had always worked. With self employment becoming less common, though, the more usual pattern was separation of home and workplace, creating new problems of child care, care of the elderly, and housekeeping responsibilities. The second major change was the increased participation of married women in the labor force. In the 1950s, most women employees were young and single; 62 % of the female labor force in 1960 had never been married. In 1987 about 66 % of the female labor force was married, and only 23 % was made up women who had never married. Some women continued working after marriage, most often in professional and government jobs, but their numbers were small. Others started their own businesses or took over family businesses. More commonly, women left paid labor after marriage, then returned after their youngest children were in school. These middle-age recruits generally took low-paying, part-time service or factory jobs. They continued to have nearly total responsibility for home and children and often justified their employment as an extension of their responsibilities for the care of their families. Despite legal support for equality and some improvement in their status, married women understood that their husbands' jobs demanded long hours and extreme commitment. Because women earned an average of only 60 % as much as men, most did not find it advantageous to take full-time, responsible jobs after marriage, if doing so left no one to manage the household and care for children.

Yet women's status in the labor force was changing in the late 1980s, most likely as a result of changes brought about by the aging of the population. Longer life expectancies, smaller families and bunched births, and lowered expectations of being cared for in old age by their children have all led women to participate more fully in the labor force. At the same time, service job opportunities in the postindustrial economy expanded, and there were fewer new male graduates to fill them.

Some of the same demographic factors—low birth rates and high life expectancies—also change workplace demands on husbands. For example, men recognize their need for a different kind of relationship with their wives in anticipation of long post retirement periods.

I was personally very pleased when I came across these numbers, and also very surprised. It seems that Japan (as usual) is racing to match Western countries (even if it may be unconscious). Then as I thought about it I realized that these were predictable changes as their economy rebuilds itself to mirror ours. It only makes sense that women are forced into the work place to put away money for their later years as health care improves and the cost of living goes up. It makes me wonder if women being forced into the workplace is beneficial or not. Sure, they are allowed to work alongside men, but the wage difference is still staggering, and if they are forced into these jobs just to make ends meat, is it really liberation?

Revolutionary Girl; Utena!

Revolutionary Girl Utena is a manga and an anime. The main character is Utena Tenjou, a tomboyish teenage girl who decided to become a prince instead of a princess when she was young (expressed in her manner of dress and personality). She attends Ohtori Academy, where she meets a student named Anthy Himemiya, a girl who is in an abusive relationship with another student. Utena fights to protect Anthy and is pulled into a series of sword duels with the members of the Student Council. Anthy is referred to as the "Rose Bride" and is given to the winner of each duel. As Anthy is thought to be the key to a coming revolution, the current champion is constantly challenged for the right to possess the Rose Bride.

With its plays on such archetypal figures as the Prince, the Princess, or the Witch, and by the literary symbolic role carried out by such plot elements as coffins, thorns, or castles, Utena can be seen as the quintessence of the Postmodernist fairy tale. One important aspect of Revolutionary Girl Utena is that it grabs traditional ideas and perceptions, and twists them around. For example, it is often debated-and indirectly shown, in the series that Anthy and Utena are both the princesses of the prince who is Dios, or Akio, or both. This is in stark contrast to the generally accepted trope that princes have only one princess, whom they unfailingly love and protect. Dios and Akio are both shown to be protective of Utena and Anthy in their own way but are incapable of doing it properly. Dios' self-destructive altruism leads to Anthy position as the Rose Bride, his existence as a powerless spirit, and the creation of Akio. As for Akio himself, it is debated how much he really cares for Utena or Anthy, but his ambition and lust for power ultimately overrides any love he might have felt for them both.

It should be noted that the series invokes sexual themes quite often (especially in the final arc), some of which are incestuous desire, actual incest, and sexual abuse. While these themes are often important within the narrative, they are usually not directly stated or shown in the series. There is somewhat more explicit sexual imagery in the motion picture, although it is still far from pornographic. The omnipresence of phallic symbols, such as swords, towers, and cars, and the sexual connotation of dewy petaled flowers contributes to the sense of urgent sexuality, repressed and otherwise, in the series.

Another very important and recurrent theme is of gender roles (freely chosen or socially imposed), which play a large part in the series, from its very premise in which Utena wishes to be a prince and not a princess. As problematised as gender is in Utena, sexual desire itself is quite fluid; most characters at least hint at having both same-sex and opposite-sex attractions.
Chief among the romantic relationships in Utena is that between Utena and Anthy. It is subtle in the TV series, but less ambiguous in the movie. While Utena (especially in the movie) is boyish, strong, and physically aggressive ("masculine" traits), she is more emotional and innocent than the wearily experienced Anthy.

Much of the series -- arguably, in a way the entire series -- revolves around the transition between childhood and adulthood, and all that implies, notably development of sexual feelings and identity and the loss of "innocence." Most of the characters are estranged from a loved one in their childhood, something which affects them deeply and arguably stunts them, and this relationship is often complicated or corrupted by a sexual element.

Another theme of Utena is the reinterpretation of classic shōjo manga themes and motifs. Examples may be seen in the failure of "heroic" male characters, Utena's refusal to become a princess (and refusal to sacrifice her femininity in order to become a 'prince'), Anthy's subversion of the demure female role, and various plays on conventions in the genre, such as the transformation of outfits and idealized notions of friendship and love.

I love this series, LOVE IT. It embodys so many amazing ideas and actually gives justification to the girl who was always the prince in the pretend games with friends (guilty). Utena (in all her incarnations no matter what) is (one of) my HEROINE(s).

The Painted Doll

I wanted to do a blog reacting just to an image, just to see how it would go. Most people have seen Memoirs of a Geisha, and even if they haven't a Geisha is a powerful symbol of what we think of as Eastern femininity.

My reaction to Memoirs was not as positive as others. Most of my friends loved the movie and had nothing but praise for it. I hated it. The whole idea of living in debt to someone, having your virginity bought, being a dress up doll who entertains, it all seemed sickening. I want to be open to other cultures and understand that these women are highly respected for their work as entertainers and artists (contrary to popular belief, Geisha are not protitutes. That misconception was born of allied occupation in WWII, when prostitutes would mimick a Geisha's makeup. However their kimono's were worn in the traditional fashion indicating a prostitute, American's at the time were ignorant of the difference, and so all Geisha came to be known as prostitutes.). But it was all so depressing, so lonely, so... well for lack of a better word, owned.

Hayao Miyazaki

Most people may not know what studio Ghibli is (mores the pity for them) and even fewer people know who Hayao Miyazaki is, but he's a legend. He's compared to Walt Disney for gods sake! Basically, he's an animation god. His animated films are world renowned and have won many Major awards, competing with live actions films for box office gross in Japan. But the cool thing about Miyazaki is that, "Miyazaki is a feminist, actually. He has this conviction that to be successful, companies have to make it possible for their female employees to succeed too," said Studio Ghibli President Toshio Suzuki. You can see this attitude in Princess Mononoke. All characters working the bellows in the iron works are women. Then there's Porco Rosso. Porco's plane is rebuilt entirely by women. These views are apparent in Miyazaki's films as well, with many memorable, strong female protagonists that go against gender roles common in Japanese animation and fiction. None of these heroins are scantly clad or vapid in any sense, but are all unique and stand out as positive images of/ for women. The imagry is always stunning and the stories moving. So please check out one or two of these links.

Miyazaki's Biography and Works Summery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsUZvc-nwtM

A Short Compelation of Scenes from Various Works (HIGHLY suggested)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTuZlSAF5rE

Video Games: The Boobs and the Bad Rap

We've all seen video games with girls in tight, barley there outfits. These girls are usually big breasted and rail skinny to the point that when people do the math, that if a person was comparable in size, her spine would literally snap. Many of today's fighting games actually have "jiggle settings" in the menus so you can control just how much the women's breasts bounce when they move. Just take a look at the girls a gamer website elected as "the hottest video game girls."

http://www.good-thing.net/pictures/hottest_video_game_woman.php

The gaming industry argues that these women have compelling back stories and are strong, independent characters that are just as respected as the male characters. Yet for some reason we don't see resin 1/10 scale model kits of the male characters being made in removable swimsuits (or LESS).

Check out this DOA (Dead or Alive) video!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_PXsAXbDus

lol and that's the most PG one available

Claymore: Women and the Sword

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDZYTMTgvSI

^Watch that trailor it is AWESOME^

In a world where humans coexist with creatures called Yoma (sentient monsters that feed on human organs, aka demons) a nameless and highly secretive organization has created an order of warriors called Claymores to protect humans from the Yoma, for a fee. One Claymore warrior, Clare, struggles to hold on to her humanity while she fights the Yoma. As a child, Clare was adopted by the Claymore Teresa. Teresa rebels against the organization by killing humans in an attempt to protect Clare; and is subsequently killed (Claymores can only slay Yoma), so Clare volunteers to become a Claymore using Teresa's flesh to take revenge on the Awakened Being, an exceptionally powerful form of Yoma, who killed her. With determination and her human friend Raki by her side, Clare overcomes her low demonic power by honing the skills she inherited from Teresa, and other Claymores. As the series progresses, she becomes stronger and a better fighter, gradually earning the respect of strong allies and coming in conflict with the shadowy organization, the top Claymores who support them, and many powerful Awakened Beings.

This all sounds pretty good for women; as only a woman can become a Claymore. But to do this she must relinquish her body by transmuting her flesh with a Yoma's to gain the powers necessary to fight them. She becomes a Claymore, which isn't just a honorary title but a species in itself. She is no longer human, cannot age, live among humans, and every time she fights she risks loosing the last part of her human soul to the Yoma powers she inherited (An Awakened Being is a Claymore who lost their humanity after battling too long or too hard). These women are servants to the organization that created them, they wander slaying Yoma where they find them, and are feared second only to the Yoma.

So why is it that when a woman becomes a powerful force she becomes inhuman, even though she is still capable of feeling? Why is a powerful woman a demon, when a powerful man is respected? Not only that, but during the series it mentions a race of male Claymore's, they were more powerful but less useful, because they used their demon powers too often (thereby becoming demons) because the use of it resembled sexual release, thereby also inferring that the old belief that women have no sex and no sexual pleasure is true.

(All things considered though, I love this series)

Japan's Advances in Women's Rights... WHATS THE HOLD UP?!

Argh, long article about abuse...
http://www.abanet.org/irr/hr/summer02/fulcher.html

Okay, so how stupid is it that it's taken them this long to admit that there's a problem? I think the reason is because only lately (like, the past twentyish years) have women actually been admitting to the fact this goes on. A HUGE part of Japanese culture is based on upholding the honor of your family and your spouse. To report your abusive husband would be to shame him in public, something that even today in many Japanese minds is worse than being in said relationship. Most women would rather go back to living in their families households than shaming themselves/their spouses/ their children/ or their families. What Japanese women are starting to figure out is that if your husband beats you, he's shaming himself. You're not the one doing it by reporting him, and that shame shouldn't/ doesn't have anything to do with your children or your family or you.

Weddings in Japan

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Japan- Acting like a little kid?

So I found a short little article about social pressures on women in Japan to conform to popular stereotypes portrayed in anime.
http://www.animereviews.org/archivelist.cfm?Ed=30&t=Women_in_Anime

While personally I don't favor any anime titles that do this, I won't deny their existence (or how flat out boring and annoying they tend to be). The majority of the titles that portray the "cute little girl" as being the most attractive are fluffy romance series that I don't spend time watching, but a lot of girls do. After reading this I started to think about all the anime conventions I had been to, where American girls who spend a lot of time watching anime always acted bubbly and giggly to an annoying degree. I always just ignored it and said it was probably because they were just really excited for con or because they were dorky middle schoolers (anime has had a big flood of pre-teen fans showing up thanks to shows like Naruto being aired in primetime slots on cartoon network). But now that I think about it they're behavior might be the result of all those candy-coated titles that are being so readily translated these days (when I was younger most of the titles brought to the U.S. had been aimed at boys, so it was mainly giant robots and violent gunfighter anime where the only women present were as serious, dangerous, and gun-toting as the male cast, Sailor Moon was the closest thing to a "girly anime" in those days).

Obviously the whole idea is creepy to Americans. The whole concept of acting like a innocent child to be more desirable to us reeks of pedophilia. What you kind of have to understand and take into account is that in Japan, cuteness is everywhere. It's culturally embraced and celebrated on all scales (In government publications, public service warnings, office environments, military advertisements, and commercial airliners use cute mascots. Corporations sell millions of dollars in cute mascot merchandise; Hello Kitty, Pokemon etc). It isn't thought of as juvenile or inappropriate when used in almost any context, it's just the way things are, for whatever reason, it's just the culture. (And no, pedophilia is NOT endorsed)

But how do I personally feel?
I'm an American, and the idea of twenty and thirty somethings acting like children to attract men... well... as much as Japanese culture fascinates me... I think it's creepy.

Sailor Moon; Iconic or Moronic?

Sailor Moon is known for 4 things in the Otaku (anime geek) subculture.
1.) Cutesy Speeches
2.) Tight Outfits
3.) Really close "cousins"
4.) Women who became men who become women

Sailor Moon is easily one of the most recognisable and well known of all anime series. It has been reproduced in multiple languages and aired in dozens of countries. The series ran for 5 years in Japan with 200 episodes, 3 movies, a musical, and a live action series. Nowadays you could walk up to anyone under twenty five, show them a picture of Sailor Moon herself, and they're bound to at least recognise her.

-Cutesy Speeches-
Sailor Moon has been praised for empowering it's female viewers with lessons of confidence, determination, friendship, teamwork, and acceptance. Thanks to Disney's influence in the dubbed version (translation from Japanese to English audio) the series even featured short "Sailor Says" segments at the end of each episode preaching life lessons about moderation, manners, and safety. Examples of these include segments about such topics as binge eating, civic pride, and self confidence.

An example of the series's themes and "Sailor Says" segments are featured in a link below in a 9 or so minute clip from the season one finale episode.
I should warn you though, it's pretty corny, and includes random music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaInzA0jjnw

These relate to feminism and feminist ideals in a few positive ways; the series puts emphasis on the teamwork between the individual heroins who each bring their own strengths to the table (Mercury's intelligence, Jupiter's strength etc) much as feminism stresses cooperation between women instead of competition and women. Also the Sailor Scouts actually come from varied backgrounds, only Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus have "nuclear families." Sailor Mercury was raised by her single working mother, Sailor Mars was raised primarily by her Grandfather, and Sailor Jupiter has no legal guardians at all (in Japan it is more common for teenagers without parents to be entirely self sufficient).

-Those Tight Uniforms-

Unfortunately (but predictably) the series has many faults as well. Obviously the uniforms the Sailor Scouts wear emphasize stereotypical femininity with their short skirts and tight tops, along with large bows and later in the series more lace and gossamer, it should probably also be mentioned that fighting evil can only be harder with the addition of heels. Most of the characters also for some reason took on a Vally girl dialect in the English version, and most of the special items in the series come in the form of hand mirrors and makeup compacts. The characters (minus Sailor Mercury) are also rather infamous for being quite stupid and dull witted and Sailor Moon is especially susceptible to panicking and sobbing when under duress. Also, when they transform, they are in naked silhouette... necessary? No. But I must admit... kinda cool looking.

Example of Sailor Scout uniforms

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/sailor_moon_049.jpg

You may also notice that each of them are portrayed in a way that we would probably consider to look "white." However the characters are written as and considered to be Japanese (and the backdrop for the series is referred to many times as Tokyo), this is not abnormal. In anime, there is usually almost no certain way to distinguish between a character who is supposed to be Chinese as opposed to one that is an American (unless it is stated, although some do feature more almond shaped eyes and show the populace to be mainly dark haired, but that is generally not the case). Contrary to popular belief anime does feature characters of other races and nationalities. But in Sailor Moon all the girls are thin, long legged, and busty, looking reminiscent of Barbie dolls (especially in the cases of Sailor Moon and Venus), which unfortunately can only help perpetuate an unrealistic and harmful idea of beauty to young girls even while the series preaches about "loving ones self."

Even Sailor Moon's personality has been sprinkled with long held believes/ stereotypes about women. For instance she is usually portrayed as airy (even stupid) and overly emotional (prone to cartoony cry-baby fits) is uninterested in school and receives especially low marks in math and science. Her dream/ goal is actually to become a bride and housewife.

-Those Two "Cousins"-

Two Sailor Scouts, (Sailor Uranus and sailor Neptune) are openly gay. They have a relationship with each other and in the uncut version of the series there is even a wedding episode (However I do not think this episode ever made it to the English version. I don't know, after season two I just watched it in uncut Japanese). However in the English version they are said to be "cousins" to avoid U.S. controversy over the series. But when you watch the show it is blatantly obvious that cousins do not interact as they do, and their story arcs do not coincide to support this lie. In the English version it is stated at least once an episode that they are cousins, even by characters who should have no idea if they are related. Sometimes, because it was simply to hard to completely remove their flirting makes it into the English version, but it is very subdued. Later parts of the series show their relationship to be more explicit, and there is even an episode where Sailor Uranus and Sailor Moon have an indirect conversation about the relationship, in which Uranus states, "My love is a different kind of love."

Sailor Uranus and Neptune Images

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/UranusNeptune42.jpg

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/jom.jpg

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/les.jpg

Obviously feminism is in support of romantic relations between women (as is the anime subculture, which should be obvious by the fact this show was created for a young female audience, though the relationship was questioned in Japan, it was never edited or "toned down"). But of course the English version was cut, edited, (and in many fans view completely destroyed, most fans will only watch it in uncut Japanese for this reason) mainly because of this relationship. Apparently networks feared a rash of angry parents or religious groups claiming that the show was "teaching" lesbianism. Networks are so stupid.

-The Gender Benders-
In the last story arc of Sailor Moon there are are new set of characters, the "Sailor Stars." Up until then the warriors had been all female, represented by planets. But the Sailor Stars (the three stars prominent on Orion's Belt) were MEN. Or, to be more specific, men who transformed INTO women using their star powers. The creator of Sailor Moon (Takeuchi) actually complained about this (as it conflicted with her rule that only girls could be Sailor Warriors), in the manga form (the original comics) the Sailor Stars were women who transformed into Sailor Scouts just like the others, but for some reason the anime changed the Stars into men who underwent a physical transformation into women to fight. In the anime the three Sailor Stars were even part of a popular boy band and their leader Seiya and Sailor Moon had something of a "thing" (which carried through even when he transformed into a female Sailor Star). This saga of Sailor Moon has never been translated into English but has been aired in a few other countries nonetheless.

Link to the transformation sequences of the Sailor Stars (it shows the multiple variations of the transformations, some of which make the physical man to woman transformation more obvious).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MTIjvVq-uk

Videos made by fans of the series out of compiled video, just in case no one believes they are actually men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN6pgJfL5Yc&feature=related

Images

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/2212152850_a7f392725e.jpg

http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/2212153542_1cfd64e8d7.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/sailor%20stars/immortalstarlight_tomoyo/sailor%20stars/Sailor_Starlights-9000.jpg?o=13

So Sailor Moon obviously isn't a series that really cares about gender barriers or limitations, it basically crosses lines and break rules whenever it suits the story. If anything it stresses the point that not only are women capable of being warriors, being strong, being independent, and being dependable, but are in fact very well suited to it. The Sailor Scouts give their lives and make great sacrifices to protect the safety of their Princess (Sailor Moon) and the earth, especially in the latter ends of the series, which of course wasn't made into English, and when they were, were edited shamelessly to fit into American gender norms and values. In the beginning of the series Sailor Moon's love interest Darien (Tuxedo Mask) saves the Sailor Scouts and intervenes in nearly every episode to guide the usually bewildered and victimized Scouts, these of course were the episodes that were translated quickly, with no qualms. Later, as the Sailor Scouts began saving HIM and becoming independent (and as Sailor Uranus and Neptune began to appear) the dubbing began to slow, networks stopped buying the rights, and production ceased completely.

So, is Sailor Moon an empowering shojo series made to encourage and uplift young girls? Or more corporate propaganda made to perpetuate negative images of women? Or was it an uplifting, groundbreaking series in Japan that was viciously manipulated by the bastard American networks in the hope of perpetuating their values and helping them boost ratings?!

I think you know how I feel, but what do you think? I know that when I was small and I watched Sailor Moon I felt just a little bit more like I had power over things.

3...2...1...LAUNCH!

Well, I quickly decided to focus my blog on Women portrayed in Anime, Manga, and other forms of Japanese media.

Why? Because these are things I like, and the way female characters are portrayed in pop culture directly reflects women's views of themselves and their development.

This is relevent for you because believe it or not, Manga and Anime are seeping into American mainstream media. So what has been affecting Japanese girls for years is now affecting American girls in growing numbers. It's probably even affected you! Don't believe me?

See any familiar faces?