On the Origin of Japanese Fetishes
October 27th, 2006 at 6:53 pm (Miscellaneous, Take)
Between studying conversational Mandarin, studying for major quizzes, and managing my non-anime-related expenditures, this blogger’s got a sad school life, seriously. But I’ve come to grips with myself, to still hope that I’ll pass. And balance both worlds, of anime and life.
Anyway.
Of all the things I had to ponder on, while still to the brim with schoolwork, this had to take the cake. The oddest… yet the most interesting.
Has anyone ever wondered where all these “bizarre” or “weird” fixations came from? I mean, when I read about “tentacle rape”, my thoughts go back to what I have read months ago, the article on Wikipedia about pornography in Japan. Yes, folks, I am referring to “Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife”, where we see a octopus, I believe, touching a human female in her inappropriate parts.
And then there are the kemonomimi? Has it been explained how women in Japan are perceived as, in relation to ideas such as this? Pets to “pet”? Objects to look at and go “aww~!”? Seems likely, no?
What’s the deal about these gender benders, anyway? I mean, we have she-males, bishies and whatnot. We got girls that dress and look like boys, and boys that have the face of a beautiful girl, and it’s no wonder they got mistaken for beautiful men most of their life.
Oh, and let’s not forget about the various get-ups these women are being “forced” to wear. Police uniforms with short skirts? High school sailor uniforms with matching bow and short skirt? Nurse with often “cutesy” (aka pink color scheme) designs and of course the short skirt? Is this how they looked at them, or was this only a perception of the past? I don’t know, don’t ask me. I’m just speculating. (For the record, I’m not emphasizing the short skirt. It’s just an example.)
It’s been bugging me since I got into this Japanimation culture. So, anybody have their own hypotheses and (possibly) theories on this issue?
Danny said,
October 27, 2006 at 7:05 pm
maybe they’re just trying to appeal to the public
kasumi said,
October 28, 2006 at 8:59 am
Regarding gender-benders…
Look up the history of kabuki theater, especially as it relates to the terms “onnagata” and “wakashuu.”
Maestro4k said,
October 29, 2006 at 12:20 am
At least some of it goes back to Japanese mythology I’d say, what with foxes being able to take the form of humans (often female), and so on. As far as uniforms it’s not just one sided with women wearing them, many jobs require uniforms for both sexes. I’m not sure why the school uniforms became so widespread to start with but they continue to appeal to parents from a practical standpoint — it’s cheaper to buy a few uniforms each year than all the clothes they’d end up buying if their kids wore normal clothes each day. Japan’s not alone in having a fetish for schoolgirls either, I know there’s a lot of American males who have the same fetish, generally here it’s Catholic schoolgirls since they’re the most likely to have uniforms.
And finally, uniforms seem to be very much ingrained in Japanese society well before the 20th century rolled around. Look at traditional outfits worn by shrine maidens as one example, also for priests and other occupations. Given that history their continuing to insist on uniforms in so many areas make a lot of sense. Uniforms for nurses used to be more common in other countries too, I’m not sure if Japan continues to have them or not but I’d say it’s pretty likely given all the other professions that have uniforms.
I have no CLUE where the whole tentacle rape fetish came from, nor do I really want to know…
Ronin said,
October 30, 2006 at 12:49 am
Danny Says:That may be so, but in what aspect I may ask? kasumi Says:
Look up the history of kabuki theater, especially as it relates to the terms “onnagata” and “wakashuu.”Could you expound on this further? I’m having a problem making the connection. :s Maestro4k Says:
And finally, uniforms seem to be very much ingrained in Japanese society well before the 20th century rolled around. Look at traditional outfits worn by shrine maidens as one example, also for priests and other occupations. Given that history their continuing to insist on uniforms in so many areas make a lot of sense. Uniforms for nurses used to be more common in other countries too, I’m not sure if Japan continues to have them or not but I’d say it’s pretty likely given all the other professions that have uniforms.
I have no CLUE where the whole tentacle rape fetish came from, nor do I really want to know… Ah, I see.
So the “sexualizing” part came years after.
mephisto2k said,
October 31, 2006 at 2:54 am
Japanese are sure more liberal with their sexuality than we are. But while we see very much in anime, I wouldnt go as far as to think that Japanese are like that. Japanese people are pretty much like e western people, follow fashion trends, have the lates technologies and accesoiries aso. I think school uniforms in Japan are quite different from those in anime. But if they would make anime too realistic, why not make liveaction in the first place… Anime is a much better media to present ideas and fantasies. Theres probably a cultural history behind every fetish we get to see in anime. It was though humans can be possesed by fox spirits and demons and take the form of a fox, which is maybe how kemonomimi came to be. Nurses school uniforms, waitress and so on is not purely a Japanese invention i think. Elfs are from europe too i think. But robot/android girl are maybe uniquly from Japan. I really wonder how those came to be. Same as the tentacle thing. And maybe also an avarage Japanese wouldnt know either.