Week 7-Uyen Ngo

Japan has always been a center of fascination for me. The seemingly traditional country that cherishes its rituals and traditions is actually a modern center of individual identity and feminism. Over the years there has been an "intentional shift away from old ideology and ways of life" and that shift is mirror through Japan's fashion (787). Japan is the prime example of a nation's political and social ideals shifting alongside fashion. As mentioned earlier, Japan is now facing a feminist uprising and this is reflect in the subcultures that are dominated by women. While fashion in general has always been deemed more associated with women, in this case, it has much more power than just to look pretty and glamorous. It is a sense of self-identity and a form of expression for these women. They also give them a community to be a source of support as they are often "treated as deviants by the rest of Japanese society" (787). I think Japan's revolution through fashion holds such importance. This is because, through orientalist ideals, the rest of the world looks at Asia as a home of women who confide to societal pressure and standards. They view Asian women as inferior with no backbone. And, as controversial as this may sound, it's hard to blame them. Of course there has always been outliers, but early on in many Asian communities, girls were encouraged to learn to be a "good wife" and choose a career that would allow them to graduate early so they can find a suitable husband. And that is how stereotypes arise, through abundance of individuals. However, Japan is that trigger of change, which is surprising as you would expect it to perhaps be Asians settled in the West. Through fashion, they have began breaking the stereotype that has existed for centuries. 

This transferred not only to Asian Americans or other Asians in the West, but rather, to other nations in Asia as well. An example is Vietnam, whose representative for Miss Universe 2018 was an ethnic minority with short hair and displayed her resilience through her fashion choices. On an international stage, she broke the image of what Vietnamese women were, which are usually long-haired who are soft spoken and dainty. She painted an image of a strong outspoken women who displayed both kindness and grace. Her preliminary was a bright yellow gown to allow her to stand out and she wore a pantsuit amongst a crowd of dresses during the first portion of the final night. And I truly believe she is a part of a wave that was started by Japan and Japanese women's bravery to announce their true identity through their fashion choices, even if it meant not being accepted by society. 

Works Cited

Yuniya Kawamura. “Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion.”