Beauty Standards in Japan: Consumerism and Western Influence

Introduction: Globalization and the Shifting Asian Beauty Ideal

Globalization has made it possible for a multitude of cultures to interact and influence each other, with the Western world having an increasing influence on Eastern communities and vice versa. Asians have gradually become more appreciative of Western culture, reaching a point where many go to great lengths to amplify their physical beauty by adopting Occidental looks. Because their darker facial features did not always help them gain recognition for their potential in broader society, numerous Asian individuals have changed their appearance through color contact lenses and skin whiteners.

The fact that Hollywood apparently had no objection to portraying actors with both Caucasian and Asian characteristics in lead roles during the early 1990s effectively fueled international audiences into viewing individuals with Eurasian facial features in a positive light. Moreover, the general public gradually began to associate the entire Asian continent with people of Eurasian descent. In response, Asians with conventional Oriental looks felt it was essential to change their appearance in order to experience success. Whereas mixed heritage had not previously seemed important in selling an image, this characteristic became one of the main factors distinguishing a renowned figure in the entertainment industry from someone with little chance of success.

Eyes, hair, and skin modifications have become a top priority for aspiring Asian artists, as it is virtually impossible to succeed in the entertainment industry without following a formula that guarantees visibility. Consumerism is primarily responsible for this tendency, as it dictates fashion and goes as far as compelling certain individuals to reinvent themselves for the sole purpose of being more appealing to the masses (Beech). Although it is perfectly normal for people to feel attracted to items from a variety of cultures, it is less ordinary to want to reshape one's facial appearance in accordance with prevailing trends. It is one thing to wear an Italian suit with Japanese shoes, and quite another to change one's eye color — or even the shape of one's eyes — out of a desire to appear Eurasian.

Western Influence and Japan's Cultural Reinvention

Globalization is one of the principal factors driving Asians to want to look more like their European counterparts. Western influences arrived in Japan through a variety of channels, the most significant of which are connected to the entertainment industry (Beech). Japan is typically recognized for its ability to maintain tradition, given that most Japanese consider their cultural values to have played an essential role in shaping their identity. However, as a result of the country's determination to reinvent itself over the last few decades, circumstances have changed significantly. This shift is partly owed to its leaders' desire to distance the nation from events of the first half of the twentieth century, and partly to the fact that the country needed to present a marketable image to the rest of the world.

Japan thus became a country renowned for its therapeutic remedies, its remarkable scenery, and its status as one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world. Contemporary society perceives Japan as a blend of both Occidental and Oriental elements. The Japanese are notable for the openness with which they manage to live in a community that preserves a series of traditional features while simultaneously welcoming innovative and sometimes controversial influences (Mostow 224).

Certain Japanese art exhibitions — such as Nihon Bi Saihakken: Furi Mukeba Japanesku, held in the early 1990s at the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Tokyo — apparently tend to focus on contemporary matters despite also evoking the golden era of the Japanese empire. These issues deal with the importance that White culture has had in shaping present-day Japan. As one source notes, "The new era has brought about attention to a new generation, in fact a 'new Japanese,' who have been raised in an environment where the fact that Euro-American culture has been brought into everyday life is an extremely normal (futsu) thing" (Mostow 225). Although many Japanese prefer to believe that engaging with foreign traditions is characteristic of their culture, conditions have grown more complex in recent decades. In order to break away from tradition, the Japanese have become actively engaged in producing, supporting, and celebrating popular culture.

They discovered its potential and the freedom it offered to express themselves without the constraints of stereotypes. It was in the recent decades that the Japanese began mass-producing popular culture, driven largely by a growing domestic appetite for it. People are generally accustomed to ignoring the effect that popular culture has on them, claiming to filter the information they receive and to avoid negative content. However, given the magnitude and efficiency with which popular culture influences individuals, it is extremely difficult to recognize when the information one encounters is designed to persuade them toward things they would not normally favor (Aoyagi 144).

Pop Idol Culture and the Manufacturing of Beauty

The general public — and young people in particular — frequently fall victim to the harmful messaging embedded in media. These individuals are often unable to differentiate between constructive and destructive content because negative information is cleverly concealed within material that appears perfectly innocent. Having inherited popular culture from the Western world, the Japanese adapted it to their own customs and generated several concepts that slowly came to represent their country on a global scale.

Pop idols have been especially prominent in Japan in recent years, and numerous young people have grown determined to become idols themselves. In order to do so, most were prepared to do anything — even if this meant changing their personality, abandoning their traditional values, or physically altering their appearance. Aspiring to be a pop idol essentially requires one to set aside cultural values and embrace a Western-oriented approach to image. The aspiring idol candidate would then have to do everything possible to look as Euro-American as possible, given that such an image is considered commercially viable. Considering that these individuals literally become idols for many other people, it is reasonable to assume that the masses come to form an unrealistic image of the ideal person.

"In friendship grounded in consumer culture, adolescents constitute the market-driven aspects of coming of age that continue to feed the trend industry. It is to this end that idols and their manufacturing industry employ cultural strategies that can create marketable adolescent personalities." (Aoyagi 146). As an attempt to conceal what is actually happening within the pop idol industry, those in charge present several Japanese traditional concepts suggesting that there is nothing harmful about the enterprise. Pop idol promoters are typically interested only in profits and show little concern for what happens to the masses as more and more people abandon conventionality in favor of building their lives around an ideal image that does not exist.

Considering that teenagers are particularly vulnerable to media messaging, their aspirations can easily be channeled toward pop idols and toward the belief that their lives would improve if they adopted the behavior of their favorite stars. Disappointment is all the greater when most adolescents discover that imitating their idols is more likely to cause distress than fulfillment. Matters escalate as young people begin to follow one of the most common patterns in teen star culture — opposing nearly everything associated with adult culture. The world of pop idols is far less appealing than it appears from the outside, and those involved must endure considerable stress to prove their worth. Many individuals experience traumatic events as a result of their relentless focus on appealing to audiences and talent managers (Aoyagi 151).

Popular culture does not only affect its admirers — it influences society as a whole, including those who oppose it. If a person dislikes something they encounter on a daily basis, they are in a sense traumatized by living in a society that does not share their values. Being against popular culture is particularly difficult, given the temptations society presents and the risk of social exclusion for those who do not conform to the group's convictions (Aoyagi 151).

Conclusion: East Meets West

The clash of cultures between the East and the West has had different effects on people around the world. Individuals in the West have expressed interest in learning more about Japanese culture, while people in Japan have gone further — demonstrating a desire to imitate Euro-American culture and physical appearance. This asymmetry reflects the enduring power of media-driven consumerism to reshape not only what people buy, but who they aspire to become.