Japan and Body Image

It's been a while since our last post, but I'm sure that doesn't surprise many of you. Hahaha... In recent news, it has warmed up quite a bit in Japan and the bugs are making their quick descent upon unknowing humans. In other words, the spiders are coming back out (it's a good thing Erin is a fearless spider fighter) and the mosquito bites are already itchy.

If you didn't know already, the three of us write a monthly article for the Uki City Press. It's a type of community magazine that is distributed for free around all five towns of Uki and we get a nice little 12 inch space with a little photo by our article. Over the past near-2-years, I have really loved the opportunity to write about whatever my little heart desired and have even received letters from Uki-citizens who had something to say about my article. (All good things, no death threats, thank goodness.) In the past, I have written about... the amazing workings of the Japanese Postal Service, a glimpse into my personal life/struggles as a foreigner, and what it was like to return back to the States... but this month, I am writing about something I feel is a bit controversial.

Generally, I take this opportunity and always write something that is very near to my heart. Surprising even myself, I usually write about very personal things that might make the normal person feel like they know me a little bit better. So as not to go against the grain, I will take that to a whole new level this month.

It's not as exposaic (that's not a word?) as I wanted it to be, nor as combative, but I wanted to write something that let people know that THIS IS AN ISSUE. Not just in my life, but in the world.

I plan on revising a more fact-oriented and opinion-oriented version of this article and posting it in the near future. This, however, remains the newspaper friendly Uki-city version. Excuse any corniness or elementary use of English. :)

-Shannon

Uki City Press May Edition 2010

Hello Uki! This month I’d like to talk about a sensitive issue both in America and Japan and also in my personal life. Honestly, I am a bit embarrassed to talk about it, but I think it is an important international issue to address. The topic of “body image,” or “weight” is considerably different between America and Japan. In America, talking about how much you weigh or the fact that you have gained or lost weight is a very touchy topic and most people actually never address it. It’s “personal” and considered very rude if you tell someone that they have gained weight. The issue of “body image” and “weight” has affected me a lot since I have been in Japan. I’m not sure how many Japanese people feel about this issue, but I think it is important to talk about.

Perhaps you already know, but the ideal Japanese body image is one of the thinnest and perhaps most strict ideals in the world today. While Americans often gain weight throughout their life, I have read that most Japanese women actually lose weight. Weight and body image are essentially a part of each country’s culture, and one difficult aspect of living in Japan is conforming to the weight expectations that most people in this country face.

Because many Western countries are very curious about why and how the Japanese remain so thin, there have been innumerable psychological and sociological studies to research this weight phenomenon in Japan. Of course weight has to do with many different things, but according to research, most Japanese women- teenagers and middle-aged women alike- have a very low self-esteem of their body. According to a study done in 2008, 78.6% of teenagers claimed they wanted to be thinner. I don’t think America and Japan are too different in this aspect, however I believe that generally in Japan, the atmosphere is very strict and people are very hard on themselves. Hisako Watanabe, a professor at Keio University, says, “There is a pervasive habit among the Japanese to monitor each other with a serious sharp eye to see what kind of slimness they have.” While this may or may not be true in your own life, I write this article because I think it is important to bring to light that there are so many different body types in the world, and that being thin is just one of many.

Living in Japan, I’ve found it very difficult to deal with body image. Clothes here generally come in one, very small size, and the majority of all people-male or female-are incredibly thin. It has taken me a great deal of self-reflection and motivation to get over the fact that people will tell me if I have gained weight, or that people will openly tell me I am a bigger than Japan’s “normal.” But it is a cultural difference that I must adjust to in Japan. More importantly, I hope that other Japanese people, and especially my students, can understand just how thin most Japanese people are, compared to the rest of the world.  However, in all countries nowadays, we are bombarded by images of unrealistically thin models and actresses. The percentage of women THAT thin around the world is less than 1%!  I wanted to take the time to say that being healthy doesn’t necessarily mean being thin, and being thin doesn’t necessarily mean beautiful. It is something I must also tell myself, and I hope that self-love of body and mind is something that we can all nurture.