It
is clear that stereotypes prevail so strongly in the world that even a
slight deviation from it raises a storm.
A trend started by Namie Amuro set off a boom among Japanese women
to dye their hair. In fact,
the boom was not confined to wild
teenagers or young office ladies. Even women in their 40s and 50s jumped on the bandwagon and
it is difficult not to notice Japanese women with some shade that is not
truly black. Naturally, a lot
of Japanese men and women were joined by their counterparts in foreign
countries (who themselves admired dark hair of Japanese women) started to
express their disappointment. Of
course, all complaints were prefaced by comments admitting that anyone had
the freedom to do whatever they wished with their bodies but they were
disappointed anyway to see colors that they did not really appreciate.
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This
led to emergence of two groups. The
first one of predominantly Japanese women who wanted to pursue their dream
of looking blonde and they cited examples of other women all over the
world dyeing their hair with whatever color they fancied.
They were, of course, joined by their admirers who supported them
either because they thought these women looked better or they believed in
the freedom of these women to pursue their dreams. Wakana Sato, a 17 year old Japanese who lives in Canada,
protested, “This is really stupid.
Why are we debating over why Japanese dye their hair? If Japanese aren’t allowed to dye their hair, why should
Canadians, or Americans, or anyone be allowed to? I agree that SOME girls
in Japan are just going too far, BUT there are others who are preserving
the culture in fashion”. Steve,
in the United Kingdom, supports Wakana, “I feel its wrong to label
people who dress in a certain way. People
have been dyeing there hair and changing there appearance for years, maybe
its a new thing in Japan but you can’t accuse these people of trying to
be white because of dying their hair. When I was younger I dyed my hair
red whilst in my punk days, what would that make me (other than a bit
weird)? Certainly not a sell out (which is an awful phrase to use and
should only be used by bigots).”
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 Keiti,
a 15-year old Japanese living in the US, asks questions similar to Wakana,
“African-American girls bleach and dye their hair everywhere from blonde
to blue, but nobody says they're trying to look white – it's just a
matter of personal taste and what image they like to project. Japanese girls are known for being stylish, and they're just
up-to-date on trends. I think people should really take a close look at
just how many non-Japanese or non-Asian people are doing the same thing,
or possibly something more extreme, before just passing judgment like
that.” (Related:
Japanese hair straightening)
The
second group consisted of traditionalists from Japan (and other parts of
Asia since this trend was no longer confined to Japan) who wanted to cling
to their stereotype of Japanese
people.
They were afraid that by changing their appearance, these people
were abandoning their “Japanese-ness”.
Several readers think that this perspective of culture and ethnic
heritage is short-sighted and narrow.
Cultures do not disappear simply because people embrace aspects of
other culture. In fact, they
might become richer. Julie
comments, “What's wrong with changing?
So one has to wear an uncomfortable kimono all the time instead of
jeans? Why don't we all wear ripped up
fur from a bear like the way
we did a million years ago? A
true culture does not die because culture is a living phenomenon – it
evolves by changing. The ones
that die are those that did not change.”
Tester supports Julie’s logic, “Maybe Asian people just admire
some aspects of western culture, and you cant expect ancient things to
last forever!!! Just look at the way the west is. You'd NEVER see anyone
dressing like they did ten years ago let alone a thousand years ago.
People in Japan still wear kimonos and yukatas.
In fact the beauty of Japan is the fact that you will see the same
girls dressed in the most traditional yukatas for their hanabi
parties. And for the Japanese
girls who want to be white, there is no such thing as being white, its
just a
skin color, and nothing more. You are who you are and one cannot
change that – no matter what.”
Lydia
Banal,
who calls herself of mixed race and lives in
New Zealand, is simply
fascinated by those Japanese who can be adventurous when it comes to
dressing up. “I really like the way
Japanese fashion has taken western fashion and
changed it into something totally new and exciting. I hope that Japanese
style of fashion will come to our end of the world, because after all, it
is a lot of fun to dress up, dye your hair and go out with your friends. I
don't think it should be considered ugly but that’s a matter of personal
taste. I don't think it makes one forget who they are or lose their
respect for their own culture although I'm sure some people do it for
those very reasons. I think
people should wear what they want. Japanese girls will always look
beautiful in their native costume, but perhaps like we all do, they would
like to have a chance to exercise their choice now and then”.
We
are hoping that the traditionalists would learn to appreciate the
perspective of people who are willing to take an adventurous approach to
how they look. What is
important to understand is that if a culture is only so deep that it will
disappear simply because a generation chose to dress differently, the
elders need to seriously question the fundamentals of that culture.
At the same time, the younger generation should explain to the
elders about their perspective rather than adopt a confrontational
approach. Seol Lee Ok has
very rightly put it for us, “The topic of culture is a broad one.
What would culture be if not influenced and molded and accepted by
everyone?”
Recommended links: Blonde
hair on non-Whites: What do you think?
Asian Hooters girls
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Tokyo Girls
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