ASA 141
5/11/19
Week 7: Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion
The reading I focused on this week was the reading by Yuniya Kawamura, "Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion." I thought this reading was very interesting because of how many distinct styles of street fashion were discussed. Another interesting element of this article was learning about how heavy the shopping culture is on teens in Japan, especially on females. The "secret circle" of being a Shibuya salesgirl is a perfect example of this exclusive culture. I think a big part of having so many groups of street fashion is also part of the exclusivity of belonging to a certain group. Harajuku and Lolita/Gothic Lolitas are just a few examples of the street fashion that has cycled through Japan. Kawaii fashion is also another example of exclusivity in fashion and how businesses make use of this type of fashion as a marketing technique. My question is, is there a lot of cultural appropriation present in Japanese street fashion? The Ganguro fashion and its literal translation is one example of possibly being offensive, along with the Japanese chola culture as well. How could Japanese communities lean away from appropriation and more towards appreciation? Could you argue that they are already?
A picture of the ganguro inspired mamba fashion in Japan.
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