Final Draft

1) Abstract

This paper examines how Japanese fashion has not only grown and evolved domestically, but has made
international impacts on the fashion industry. This paper aims to explore the world of fashion in Japan
from the street fashion, to the Lolita, and even Hello Kitty. For this examination, I will study Japanese
fashion over a span of 100 years in order to see the range of fashion from its historical influences, its
domestic influences, and cultural identities that has caused an impact in current trends. The reason to
differentiate the types of influences is to examine Japan from a national scale to a global scale. From a
national scale, influences such as its economy, media (such as music and anime), and societal norms
have placed a specific kind of thought and mindset into the youth generations style. In contrast,
historical events such as post-World War II, western cultural invasion, and Japans resurgence into the
world have also caused heavy influence into how Japan makes themselves known and stand out from
the rest of the world.

In addition to fashion, this paper plans to examine how fashion has had an impact on gender. From the
overly feminine Lolita, to the hyper-masculine Yankee, to somewhere in between, Japanese fashion has
taken on many different personalities for people of different backgrounds. However, as I venture
throughout the different time periods and eras, we are able to see how these cultural identities and
personalities were presented. For instance the era of the yakuza and bosozoku was a time of rebellion
and standing outside the influence. This was dominated by styles of dyed hair, tattoos, piercings, and
outfits that really went against the more subtle and socially acceptable clothing. By comparison, the
Lolita period presented women and men in a type of fashion that showed off their more feminine
personality. In addition this presented a style of class and leisure, in reference to the Victorian Era,
which was wore before these kids grew to the age of working adulthood. However, with that being said,
this paper also plans on investigating how these specific lines of fashion impact female groups and male
groups. Going back the bosozoku era, this style presented these groups of kids in a rather negative light
that were not widely accepted by those of society. It led to many fights, juvenile delinquencies, and
trouble with the police on numerous occasions. On the opposite side, the Lolita period has taken many
hits for entertaining the idea of women being these sexualized objects and fueling the fetish for many
adult males. As for many fashion trends, while it works well within the era, there are many risks that can
come along with the design and the way its presented in public.

Lastly, this paper will take into account todays fashion trend in Japan. As analyzed in the previous
decades, we now examine how Japan is planning on expanding or transitioning to a new fashion trend.
What events could make an influence, what aspect of the youth to focus on, and how the fashion line is
executed for this era? Overall, this paper is made to examine and investigate the numerous fashion
trends in Japan and how its made an impact domestically as well as globally.

2) Outline
i.Introduction
A. Introduce the topic
B. Main Points
1. Fashion throughout the past 100 years
2. Historical/Domestic Influences
3. Impact on gender (femininity and masculinity)
4. Japanese fashion today
C. Thesis: This analysis will cover the history of fashion in Japan, the historical and
domestic influences that inspired fashion, gender definition towards certain fashion trends, and
how modern Japanese fashion impacts the fashion industry today. In essence, while fashion
does reveal another aspect of Japan, it definitely brings about new perspectives; reveal hidden
insecurities, and potential risks all in the name of looking stylish.
ii.Fashion in the past
A. Kimonos
B. Loose clothing (intro to Western influence)
1. Similarly, starting in 1870, government workers, such as policemen, railroad
workers, and postal carriers, were required to wear Western male suits (Kawamura 1)
C. Post-WWII attire
1. With the end of the Second World War, women discarded the loose-fitting
pantaloons called monpe that had been required wear for war-related work and began
wearing skirts (Hays 1)
D. Bosozoku/Yankee
1. Yankees prefer black, white, and primary colors such as red, green, and yellow.
Thin cardigans [and] knit from synthetic fibers are among their favorite clothes (Sato
110). Like their male counterpart, female Yankees curl their hair as well as bleach/dye it
to have pigments of light brown, yellow, or gold. Yankee females generally wear heavy
makeup, which makes their faces look sternthe attire includes blouses, knit cardigans
of primary colors, and black net stockings (Sato 110).
E. Lolita/Kawaii
1. Young women (not girls), who dress in cute, childlike, and modest fashions
without the overly sexualized appearance typically associated with Navokovs Lolita
(Winge 47-48)
2. She poses and conducts herself in order to create a surreal and fantastic
childlike appearance; and she communicates kawaii characteristics-hyper-cute and
hyper feminine (Winge 50)
F. Bodikon/Shibukaji
1. In the latter half of the 1980s, women's fashions branched out in two
directions, one known as the bodikon (body-conscious) style, emphasizing the natural
lines of the body, and the other known as shibukaji (Shibuya casual), originating among
high school and university students who frequented the boutiques of Tokyo's Shibuya
Ward shopping streets (Hays 3)
G. Fast Fashion
 1. There have always been mass-produced, low-priced products available, but the
new trend is for products that incorporate the very latest styles with high quality (Hays
3)
H. Harajuku
iii.Historical Influences
A. Han Chinese Clothing (kimonos)
B. Post-WWII attire
C. Western Impact
iv.Domestic Influences
A. Japanese Economy
B. Music / Media
1. Visual kei
2. Combining fantastical imagery, flamboyant costuming and performance, and
frequently an element of cross-dressingfairy tale motifs, often used in shojo manga,
offer Lolitas a visual idiom emphasizing sentiment and depth and a distinct
homogender world (Gagne 7)
C. Break from societal norms
1. Anxieties
2. Insecurities
v.Gender Norms
A. Femininity
1. Kawaii
a) In these American scenes, Japanese cute had transcended both its
Tokyo home, as well as its link to childhood innocence (Yano 682)
2. Sexual Objects
a) On the contrary, Sanrio plays with Hello Kitty as simultaneously cute
as well as chic, hip, and kinky-sexy (Yano 682)
b) Sexual Undertones vs. Women Empowerment
3. Rebellious
a) Female bosozoku with female twists
b) Phase before adulthood
B. Masculinity
1. Tough-guy look
a) Hyper-masculinity
b) Inviting fights and bullying
c) Fight for the underdogs
2. Rebellious
a) Negative associations due to style
b) Drugs, alcohol, paint, heroin
3. Break from salaryman
a) Against the social norm before adulthood
4. Flamboyancy
 a) Being overly feminine
C. Gender fluidity
1. Genderless
2. Monotone
3. Androgynous
vi.Impacts Outside of Japan
A. Western cultural impacts
B. Risky fashion trends
vii.Japanese Fashion Today
A. Todays influences
1. Japan offered an aesthetic and practical possibility beyond conventional
Western tailoring (Martin 216)
B. Modern Fashion

3) Annotated Bibliography

1. Sato, Ikuya. "The Birth of the Yankee." Kamikaze Biker: Parody and Anomy in Affluent Japan. Chicago:
University of Chicago, 1991. 107-30. Print.

This passage aims to identify a yankee, and focuses purely by their style. As the definition states, most
Yankees go outside the norm, therefore they wear flashy and loud clothes to state their rebellious
nature. Male Yankees vary from having afros, long hair, close-cropped hair, to even dying their hair a
noticeable color. As for their clothes, Yankees prefer black, white, and primary colors such as red,
green, and yellow. Thin cardigans [and] knit from synthetic fibers are among their favorite clothes (Sato
110). Like their male counterpart, female Yankees curl their hair as well as bleach/dye it to have
pigments of light brown, yellow, or gold. Yankee females generally wear heavy makeup, which makes
their faces look sternthe attire includes blouses, knit cardigans of primary colors, and black net
stockings (Sato 110). While the groups yankee and bosozoku are sometimes intertwine, there are
subtle differences which is what I hope to show through either their fashion or how its presented.

2. Yano, Christine R. Wink on Pink: Interpreting Japanese Cute as It Grabs the Global Headlines. The
Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 68, no. 3, 2009, pp. 681688. www.jstor.org/stable/20619791.

In this passage, Yano takes on the topic and discusses how Japanese cute has taken over global news.
Starting the late 1960s, street fashion in Japan has expanded dramatically into what journalists Patrick
Macias and Izumi Evers [call] chronicle girl culture street fashion in urban Japan cute overload (Yano
681). A major element to this trend springs from the explosion of the Hello Kitty icon. In fact by the
early 2000s, Hello Kitty became such a phenomenon that it was sold as cosmetics, endorsed as a
promotional figure, and was even the inspiration for many fashion designers. As a way to explain Japans
aesthetically pleasing and rather cool and cute products, Yano describes it as a global wink-cultural,
national, transnational, gendered, and, ultimately corporate-that draws our attention (Yano 683). In
essence, this passage will tie in with the Japanese cuteness and kawaii fashion how that incorporates in
subtle nationalism and takes on a feminized position that many corporations take advantage of in order
to gain massive profit.

3. WINGE, THERESA. Undressing and Dressing Loli: A Search for the Identity Of the Japanese Lolita.
Mechademia, vol. 3, 2008, pp. 4763. www.jstor.org/stable/41510902.

Winges passage turns its attention to Japanese fashion, specifically the Lolita subculture. Winge
originally defines this type of fashion as young women and men who dress as anachronistic visual
representations of Victorian-era dolls (Winge 47). This refers to the amount of lace, ruffles, and bows
wore from head to toe. From an aesthetic standpoint, this community expresses individuality,
uniqueness, and personality (through the many different genres of Lolita). However, it also brings
reference to Vladimir Nabokovs 1955 novel, where a young girl has a sexual relationship with her
middle-aged stepfather, and to the Japanese Lolita complex in which older men find attraction to
young girls. By the 1980s, the Lolita culture graduated to young women trying to take away the
sexualized undertone, but maintain the cute and childlike appearance. With that being said, Ill explore
this type of fashion and culture as its associated towards the idea posing the cute and young girl, but
also making the connection of these young girls appearing as sexual objects.

4. Gagn, Isaac. "Intersections: Bracketed Adolescence: Unpacking Gender and Youth Subjectivity
through Subcultural Fashion in Late-Capitalist Japan." Intersections: Bracketed Adolescence:
Unpacking Gender and Youth Subjectivity through Subcultural Fashion in Late-Capitalist Japan.
N.p., July 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.

Gagne continues discussing the fashion of Lolita with the idea of self-expression and identity for young
people in Japan. Similar to Winges point, Gagne points out young women of this subculture draw their
aesthetics from stage performances of bands and the fantasy worlds of anime, manga and dolls (Gagne
1). In essence, the visual fantasy of embodying the princess look, as well as the refined and leisure
lifestyle is what appeals most to these young girls. Which comes to no surprise when much of the
community consists of girls with from middle or low-middle class backgrounds; it fulfills and sparks the
fantasy. Like Winges passage, Gagne work will be used to not only explore deeper into the Lolita
culture, but also some of the influences that spark this fashion trend.

5. Martin, Richard. Our Kimono Mind: Reflections on 'Japanese Design: A Survey Since 1950'. Journal
of Design History, vol. 8, no. 3, 1995, pp. 215223. www.jstor.org/stable/1316033.

This passage presents a new perspective on not only the kimono, but Japanese fashion and its influence
in Western fashion. As Martin points out, Japanese design offers the extant alternative that reconciles
kimono ceremony and applied use for dress (formality and informality) (Martin 216). Essentially what
Martin points out is that unlike Western fashion, Japanese fashion has been able to combine beauty,
functionality, and practicality that are fit for most occasions. Another key difference is how Western
dress focuses more on body-shaping or the silhouette of the model. In contrast, traditional and
contemporary Japanese fashion has taken a more layering and abstract shaping approach. This passage
will fit well into how Japanese fashion has shaped and influenced fashion in other countries.
6. Hays, Jeffrey. "FASHION IN JAPAN: HISTORY, JAPANESE DESIGNERS, POOR MARKETING AND BRAND-
NAME MANIA." Home. N.p., Jan. 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.

This passage introduces the type of fashion in Japan as well as the history of Japanese fashion. Hays
introduces this topic by touching on the kawaii fashion Japan is best known for, and how this fashion
trend has influenced much of the youths in other Asian countries (Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea),
Europe, and the US. As for the history of Japanese fashion, Hays starts with the Meiji period (1868-
1912), and how Japan adopted Western-style uniforms for military services, policemen, and postal
carriers. Hays then moves on to Japanese fashion in the 1940s through the 2000s. Through each period,
Hays describes the fashion, the influences, and its target audience for popularity. This reading will fit
well into learning the different types of fashion, influences, and popular trends.

7. Kawamura, By Yuniya. "Japanese Fashion." LoveToKnow. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.

This passage goes over a small snippet of Japanese fashion history. Similar to Hayss passage, Kawamura
goes starts out the passage with Japanese fashion from the Meiji period. The author then transitions to
post-war fashion and how the economy has influenced fashion in Japan. For instance, as Japans
economy began to prosper in the 1980s, the movement was to wear iconic and well-identified fashion
designers. But this also led to mass importation of Western fashion as they were a hug influence to the
growing economy. Like Hayss passage, this article will fit well into the history of Japanese fashion, but
this also ties in international and domestic influences that lead towards certain trends.

8. Johnson, Edward Stokes. Letter from Tokyo. Harvard Review, no. 6, 1994, pp. 144147.
www.jstor.org/stable/27560072.

This passage is a field study on the Harajuku area. As quoted by the author, Harajuku is one of Tokyos
upscale fashion and entertainment areas, most known for Sundays, when greater Tokyos tends swarm
there like lemmings on a population-boom cycle (Johnson 144). What makes Harajuku so popular is the
variety of stores, shops, and boutiques that can catch the attention of anyone from any different
background. With that being said, Johnson is able to capture the uniqueness and the many spectacles
seen from this particular area. Using this passage, I will be able to examine how fashion is distributed in
Japan and how the youth finds their latest style.

9. Mathews, Gordon, and Bruce White. "Youth Fashion and Changing Beautification Practices." Japan's
Changing Generations: Are Young People Creating a New Society? London: RoutledgeCurzon,
2004. 83-97. Print.

The author of this passage surveys the fashion trends in Japan that were originally adopted in the 1990s,
and how it has incorporated into the new millennial generation. Miller investigates that although the
current generation might be breaking away from fashion well known in past decades, they are
expanding and revolutionizing new ways to become fashionable. Not only does this passage go into
fashion thats wore on the outside, but this dives deep into what it means to be beautiful physically and
appearance based. This passage will tie into how the youths of today are taking fashion to the next level,
and how they are either incorporating past ways of thought. This passage will also dive into some of
Japans insecurities and how this shapes the beauty standards today.

10. Kinsella, Sharon. "Cuties in Japan." Cuties in Japan. N.p.: n.p., 1995. 220-54. Print.

This passage focuses entirely on the kawaii style that Japan is most famously known for. This goes into
detail on how cute fashion evolved from the early romanticisms of the 1980s to an almost parody and
humorous style that emphasizes all things cute and pink. But this style is more than just the fashion, it
also associates itself to the attitudes and behaviors that people may also find cute, adorable, vulnerable,
loveable, and innocent. Not only will this passage dive deep into the pink revolution (the wink on pink),
but it will show how the youth shapes themselves to behavior, act, and resonate to fit this kawaii
criteria.