Representations of Gender in Japanese Pop Culture
Topic Description
Perceptions of the role of men and women within a society are crucial factors in
determining the cultural and social norms of that community. The representation of gender in
Japanese pop culture, specifically in media and entertainment, demonstrates some of the cultural
perceptions of Japanese society regarding femininity and masculinity. Understanding how these
representations affect a society is important in understanding what the accepted standards of
masculinity and femininity. The research proposal seeks to illustrate the difference between the
portrayal of masculinity and femininity in media and entertainment as well as how these
portrayals affect the modern Japanese society.
Annotated Bibliography
Monden, Masafuni. Japanese Fashion Cultures: Dress and Gender in Contemporary Japan.
London: Bloomsbury, 2014.
Monden examines the Japanese fashion cultures from a gender perspective in terms of what
young people today consider as acceptable and attractive. The paper explains the views of men
and women separately by examining the dressing and modelling shown in Japanese magazines. It
also discusses the differences and similarities between Japanese traditional fashions and
contemporary fashion. An interesting perspective adopted by Monden is the discussion of the
concept of boyish elegance for young men and excessive femininity for women. The text is
beneficial in providing information concerning present and past views of masculinity and
femininity through dressing as experienced in Japanese media.
Topic Description
Perceptions of the role of men and women within a society are crucial factors in
determining the cultural and social norms of that community. The representation of gender in
Japanese pop culture, specifically in media and entertainment, demonstrates some of the cultural
perceptions of Japanese society regarding femininity and masculinity. Understanding how these
representations affect a society is important in understanding what the accepted standards of
masculinity and femininity. The research proposal seeks to illustrate the difference between the
portrayal of masculinity and femininity in media and entertainment as well as how these
portrayals affect the modern Japanese society.
Annotated Bibliography
Monden, Masafuni. Japanese Fashion Cultures: Dress and Gender in Contemporary Japan.
London: Bloomsbury, 2014.
Monden examines the Japanese fashion cultures from a gender perspective in terms of what
young people today consider as acceptable and attractive. The paper explains the views of men
and women separately by examining the dressing and modelling shown in Japanese magazines. It
also discusses the differences and similarities between Japanese traditional fashions and
contemporary fashion. An interesting perspective adopted by Monden is the discussion of the
concept of boyish elegance for young men and excessive femininity for women. The text is
beneficial in providing information concerning present and past views of masculinity and
femininity through dressing as experienced in Japanese media.
